


Kinda Always Surfing

by x324B21x



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-26
Updated: 2014-08-19
Packaged: 2018-01-26 14:12:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1691177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/x324B21x/pseuds/x324B21x
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cosima teaches the new girl in town to surf.. and maybe a few other things along the way! Rated M for Might-contain-smut-if-I-grow-the-balls-to-write-it<br/>Will be a few chapters!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: First Break

Cosima trudges through the sand, stumbling across the dark beach still half asleep – it’s only 5am and she’s pretty certain that’s not a real time anyways. She drags her surfboard with one hand, the other full of her giant coffee cup and a joint cleverly tucked into the cardboard sleeve. 

Reaching the vacant lifeguard tower she flops into the sand with the grace of a newborn donkey – which is to say none at all. Not many students would be caught dead waking up at such an hour unless it’s to get to the lab and check on thesis projects, but Cosima is dedicated to her morning surf sessions. 

Being a grad student means long days of classes, labs and readings. It means going to school and getting so caught up in work and research that she forgets to eat until Scott shows up with donuts and she gets jolted out of her trance by the growl of her stomach. So getting up at the ass-crack of dawn ensures that she gets at least a couple hours of peace and quiet on the waves – not to mention a wicked workout. 

The morning surf crowd is a handful of familiar faces, San Fran may be big, but the amount of people willing to get up before work to go to the beach is barely enough to string together two teams for beach soccer on the days when the Pacific refuses to produce big swells. 

And that’s why Cosima notices her. As she reclines against the leg of the tower steadily smoking her joint and chasing each drag with a gulp of coffee – her mom would be appalled at her breakfast choices – she spots the girl’s hair before anything else. 

Fluffy gold curls bounce as the woman strolls casually along the beach smoking a cigarette and sipping from a coffee cup, clearly making choices as healthy as Cosima’s. She gazes at the girl for far too long to be socially acceptable, but hey, it’s barely light out so no one can judge her creepiness. 

Maybe it’s the breakfast of champions thinking, but Cosima is awestruck; her gaze greedily rakes in the long legs and slender figure wrapped up in a sweater, following the woman’s hands as they pull those gorgeous curls back into a neat bun. The scientist in her takes over, this woman is far too pale to be a native San Franciscan; she has to be new to the area, new to the sun even! Cosima wonders what her story is. She hasn’t even spoken to her but she wants to know why this gorgeous woman is here at 5am, where she came from, what her voice sounds like, what colour her eyes are… 

Putting out the rest of her joint and chugging the last dregs of now cold coffee Cosima stands and begins to pull off her favourite red coat and tug up her wetsuit. 

As the sun breaks the horizon and the beach is bathed in warm rays of light Cosima looks around and sees the regulars making their way down to the water; there’s Sarah and Cal teaching their daughter to surf now that she’s big enough – Cosima can remember when Kira just sat on the beach and watched with her uncle Felix and Grandma S. Mrs S’s dog Carlton races along the beach barking at waves, the goofy chocolate lab even hops onto the occasional surf board in the shallows.

Art and Helena are friends of Sarah and Felix’s, neither can surf to save their lives, but they come every day without fail to spend time with the surfers. Art usually brings donuts, but by the time everyone is out of the water, Helena has eaten most, if not all of them

Over to the other side of the beach are Alison and Beth, totally inseparable best friends forever, Cos knows they meet in the mornings before going to busy jobs and insufferable husbands. 

The break isn’t huge, but Rachel finds a way to be as far as possible from the rest of the surfers while her dad? Boyfriend? Butler? Leekie watches from the shore. Cosima has seen him wandering campus and suspects he’s a professor or something. Strange those two are, the rest of the gang keeps their distance. 

Now their little club has a new member and Cos can see everyone casting shy glances towards this new girl as they pass by. Nodding her greetings Cosima grabs her board and joins the herd, making sure she stays on the side closest to blondie. 

She watches as the girl fumbles with her wetsuit, and then drops her board not once or twice, but four times before she reaches the water’s edge. Eyebrows furrowing, Cosima takes in the scene, clearly this chick is not a surfer. 

As everyone wades through the shallows and starts to paddle towards the break – it’s looking like a good day for waves – Cosima angles diagonally towards the woman who has lost all her grace upon mounting her board. Not wanting to look like a keener lifeguard, but still concerned for her safety, Cosima keeps a respectable distance while keeping an eye on the newbie as they both paddle out. 

Waiting for the next set all of the surfers are floating about, catching up on gossip. Cosima decides to bite the bullet and sidles up beside goldilocks. “Hey! You’re new. And I’m Cosima!” 

Huge doe eyes look back at her as the girl accepts Cosima’s handshake. She finally gives in and flashes a huge smile, “Delphine, enchantee.” 

Cosima grins at the girl’s adorable (sexy?) accent. “Never surfed before?”

Delphine looks embarrassed as she nods, “Is it that easy to tell?”

Cosima laughs and replies “No, lucky guess, I’ve defs seen pros trembling like leaves on their boards before.” 

Delphine gasps and mocks offence as she splashes water at the dread-locked girl, “You cheeky brat! But oui, this is only my second time on a surfboard; I took a lesson and now I’m … teaching myself.” 

Flashing her signature shit-eating grin, Cosima replies “Well since you’re new you may not have heard yet, but I’m kind of an awesome surfer. Totes qualified to give you some pointers, you know if you uh, like needed them or whatever.” She can’t help the awkward hand gesturing while she rambles, talking even faster than usual thanks to caffeine and nerves. 

Delphine looks at the grinning girl beside her and smiles, “I would love that! It’s nice to make a friend in this brave new world! I just moved from Montreal.” 

Cosima opens her mouth to ask the mysterious French girls more questions, but a wave catches her off guard and knocks her into the chilly water; spluttering she clambers back onto her board and hears Delphine laughing – she decides it was totally worth it to hear that sound. 

They watch a few of the others catch waves, Cosima commenting on everyone’s style; there’s Sarah’s aggressive and reckless surfing, Alison’s cautious but meticulous method and Rachel’s clinical and precise moves down the far end of the break. Finally Cosima looks over at Delphine, who is nervously biting her lip, “You think you’re ready Miss I’m-gonna-teach-myself-to-surf?” she gestures to the next set that is rolling in. 

Delphine looks like she’s more ready to hurl, but she nods and paddles into position. The next wave looks like a good one – well a good one for any experienced surfer, but Cosima recognizes that the speed is going to be too much for Delphine. Before she can call out Delphine is paddling with the wave and manages to get on her feet. Cosima thinks she may have underestimated the taller girl – then suddenly she loses her balance and is knocked into the foaming water. 

Cosima frantically paddles over to a sopping wet Delphine who is either laughing or coughing – probably both- and looking like a wet puppy, “Dude are you okay? That wave was hardcore! I totally should have warned you!”

“Oui, Oui I am fine Cosima, just help me up!” Cosima leans across and grabs the girl’s hand, hauling her onto the board between them. She doesn’t want to let go of Delphine’s hand, but she reluctantly gives it up. 

“How about I go cough up the rest of the Pacific I seem to have swallowed, smoke a nice little cigarette and watch you, oh great one?” Delphine asks with a smirk on her face. 

Cosima grins right back and warns, “Listen don’t hate me after I completely show you up, okay?”  
Rolling her eyes Delphine heads towards shore, while Cosima paddles back out, determined not to make a fool of herself in front of the sexy blonde. 

Two and a half hours later Cosima is exhausted. Her whole body is burning with the exertion of surfing and paddling, she’s eager to get back on solid ground and dry out. Delphine had stayed the entire time, eyes wide with amazement as she watched the shorter girl surf like a pro. She finds out from Art that Cosima teaches surf lessons in her little spare time, just a way to pay the bills. 

When Cosima reaches the towels Delphine and the others have laid out, she collapses, “So, am I good enough to be your teacher?” she asks with a hint of cockiness in her voice. 

“Hmm, perhaps, but you are very cheeky. I think I should get lessons for free just for putting up with you!” Delphine teases. 

Cosima rolls over to face her, the sun has dried and fluffed her golden curls and she looks like an angel Cosima thinks, except the things she wants to do to Delphine are far from angelic. 

“How about this, you tell me your story and bring the donuts, and I’ll teach you how to surf almost as good as me” Cosima says with a wink. 

Delphine can’t hold back the smile that breaks out at the smaller woman’s offer; as they walk up the beach with the rest of the surf club she says, “What would you like to know?”

Cosima turns to Delphine, taking a second to look into those hazel eyes, and says “Everything.”


	2. Donuts

Chapter Two: Donuts and Life Stories

Delphine’s alarm blares, jolting her awake in a manner that she thinks is inhumane. She does not remember what possessed her to rise and go to the beach at dawn yesterday, but today her motivation is in the form of a short dread-locked girl with a toothy grin and mischievous eyes. 

Pulling a loose gray sweater and jeans on over her swimsuit she hastily gets ready, pausing for longer than usual in the bathroom trying to tame her crazy curls in an effort to look semi-decent for Cosima. 

Why she does this she could not explain, but for some reason she finds herself wanting to impress the stranger. Although as she thinks about it, Cosima doesn’t really feel like a stranger to her at all. For all she knows this girl could be a crazy murderer with a thing for foreigners, but she doesn’t care. She thinks this might be what she came here looking for – a fresh start. 

Delphine arrives at the beach just as the sun begins to rise, she can see a few of the others beginning to wetsuit-up and she scans for Cosima. She spots her a little ways from the lifeguard tower, kneeling in the sand to give Carlton a good scratch behind the ears. 

Delphine watches as Cosima rises from the sand, waving a big stick in front of the lab’s nose; she teases him for a moment before hurling the stick as far as she can. The dog shoots down the beach and splashes into the water, looking awfully smug as he trots back to Cosima. Delphine can’t help but release a giggle when Carlton shakes cold water and clumps of sand all over the shorter girl, making her squeal and leap away laughing. 

As she nears Cosima she slows her steps and sneaks up behind the girl, waiting until the slobbering dog has captured her attention before holding her hands over the woman’s eyes and leaning in to whisper in her ear, “If you ever want to see your donuts again you will train me to surf like a pro.” 

Jumping slightly as the closeness of Delphine’s body, Cosima whirled around to face her, “Holy watershed dude! You just scared the chromosomes outta me! Don’t do that to a person, it’s probably taken like, five years off my life.” The smaller girl was trying her hardest to look stern, but her eyes gave her away before she started to laugh. 

Cosima’s eyebrow rose as she asked, “Did I hear something about donuts?”

Giggling at the smaller woman’s dramatics she said, “Oui, I brought you a small gift for offering to take me under your wing, people say you Americans like your donuts so… ” Delphine held out the paper bag with a sheepish grin on her face. 

“You’re friggan adorable, there is hope for you yet!” Cosima snatched the bag away and turned a full-size donut into a one-bite donut, looking like a chipmunk as she led the way over to their surfboards. 

Cosima told her they were going to start the day on the sand, practicing the basic techniques before moving out into the water. Today the waves looked more gentle than they had the previous day, Delphine was sure she could still taste salt in the back of her throat from the wipeout. As they went through the motions on their surfboards, Cosima began her interrogation.

“So what made you leave Montreal, and why San Fran?” Cosima looked at her with her head cocked to the side, dreads dangling. 

“I… Well my whole life was spent there. So when my relationship ended – badly at that – I decided it was time for a big change. And the science programs out here are incredible!” Delphine felt herself gushing, the words flying out rapidly. 

Delphine was looking down, studying the sand as she spoke. “My ex-boyfriend, Frederic, his family and mine were close. The Cormiers and the Berauds. I felt like when we ended I had let so many people down… I just couldn’t stay there. I finished my graduate program and came here to pursue my PhD in immunology.” Finally looking up at Cosima, her eyes met soft brown ones and Cosima nodded knowingly. 

“I chose San Francisco for the school and the sunshine, I thought it would help me find positivity, you know? Maybe break out a bit. Make friends, do things I’ve never done before – Frederic was so boring!” Delphine explained.

Cosima jumped up, spraying sand everywhere, “AHA! So that’s what got you on a surfboard! Leaving ol’ square Delphine behind, no more boring boyfriends for you! Gonna get yourself a hot surfer dude, maybe a sweet tattoo?” She stood, hands on hips looking at Delphine expectantly, all the while sporting a teasing grin. 

Delphine looked up at the brunette, she felt a blush creep into her cheeks and she looked away again, focusing on the surfers out at sea. “Non, non, just... looking to try new things you know? There are so many experiences to be had.”

Cosima had a wicked smirk on her face and Delphine could tell she was about to comment, when Sarah came charging by teasing, “Eh Cos! You gonna get that board in the water today? Or just sweet talk your girlfriend?”

Both girls blushed and Cosima turned back to Delphine, “I guess that’s our cue! Come on Dr. Cormier, I’ll make a surfer out of you yet!” She picked up her surfboard and flashed a grin at Delphine before running towards the water.

Laughing as she chased the smaller woman down the beach Delphine corrected, “Not doctor yet! Perhaps if I don’t make it you can turn me into a pro surfer!” 

As they paddled towards where the rest of the group was drifting, Cosima said, “Maybe you can like guide me through my PhD, and then if it all blows up we can be beach bums together! I’ll have to get you so baked before you can fit in!” 

The rest of the morning passed quickly, Delphine watching as the little surf club interacted, noting how they seemed like a family with all the playful teasing. 

She managed to ride one wave almost all the way in, feeling the adrenaline and sense of accomplishment rise in her chest. She could hear Cosima clapping and whistling behind her, making her grin like an idiot.

Since Sarah had made the comment about Cosima’s girlfriend Delphine had listened for any more hints during the conversations out on the waves. She couldn’t help but wonder if Cosima was interested in her as more than a friend, did that matter to her? Was she interested in Cosima? Delphine decided time would tell. She was going to make like a West Coast citizen and let it go with the flow. 

When the surfers all gathered in the parking lot to say their goodbyes Cosima caught her arm, “Thanks for the donuts, totally improved my balanced breakfast of pot and coffee! My turn tomorrow?”

Something in Cosima’s eyes made Delphine pause, she could sense mischief; unable to say no to the adorable girl in front of her, Delphine could only nod. After a few seconds she found her voice again and she called out after Cosima, “It is also your turn to answer questions ma cherie! It’s only fair.”

Cosima beamed at her, “I’m all yours Cormier, ask and you shall receive!” and with a wink she had disappeared into her car, leaving Delphine standing alone in the parking lot with a grin on her face and questions on her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I keep going, would love to hear some opinions!


	3. Flat Sea

Chapter Three: The Flat Sea

Wednesday brought with it clouds, not the stormy kind, the still and grey kind that seemed to blanket the landscape and slow everything down. With no wind to push the clouds away the morning felt gloomy and ominous; no wind also meant no waves, which was what led to the surf club sitting stranded on the beach.

Upon seeing the flat, lethargic ocean, Rachel had simply turned on her heels and left. The rest of the gang watched her stalk back to the black SUV with darkly tinted windows, Sarah and Felix mocking what she might be saying to Leekie in the vehicle. 

“Wonder what she’s got wedged so far up her ass to make her walk like that…” Sarah mused out loud, Mrs. S having to cover Kira’s ears at Felix’s comment that had followed.

Cal had scrounged up a few pieces of driftwood and lit a small fire, which the surfers were now huddled around. Cosima leaned back in the sand, letting out a happy sigh as she looked around the ring. 

It didn’t matter that today was looking a little sharky and the waves had skipped town, mornings like these were just as good in Cosima’s opinion. It felt like home sitting here with these people who had once been complete strangers, now they made up a happy little family and it felt good to be a part of a group for once – quirky as this group may be. 

Cosima had always been too busy for friends, getting by just fine on her own, just focused on school and science. But when she started coming to DYAD beach every morning, the group welcomed her with open arms and she let herself get attached. Now she couldn’t imagine her life without these crazy characters. 

Feeling content Cosima turned her thoughts to a more delicate topic. Namely the stunning blonde girl seated next to her. Delphine had even leaned back like Cosima, their arms just brushing slightly in the soft sand. When the girl had first sat down Cosima was sent into a daze by the wave of her sweet perfume mixed with the salty air, and now she had decided it was her favourite smell. 

Cosima lay beside her, answering questions about her family, studies at school and whatever else the Canadian wanted to know. It felt easy and comfortable, like she had known Delphine for her whole life, and she didn’t want it to end. 

Cosima was idly watching the flames flick over the salty logs, creating bright green colours, when suddenly she felt hot breath in her ear and a shiver shot down her spine.

“Are Beth and Alison… you know… together?” Delphine’s voice was low and Cosima had to fight the urge to pounce on the girl right then. That would likely not do good things for their friendship Cosima thought. 

Turning to glance at Alison and Beth Cosima leaned back so she was pressed against Delphine. “Um… you know I’ve always wondered! Good eye Cormier, they’re like totally trying to be subtle” Cosima spoke quietly so her words only reached Delphine’s ears.

Alison and Beth were seated on the other side of the fire, practically on top of one another. Alison was absentmindedly picking at loose strings on the leg of Beth’s sweatpants, and Cosima could see that she was speaking to the police officer as she did so. Beth wore an affectionate smile and Cosima would swear she saw Beth rubbing Alison’s back. 

“You know the story right? Beth’s husband Paul is a total scumbag, got Beth pregnant and took off to Afghanistan for 3 years. While he was gone Beth lost the baby and went off the rails. She was on some hardcore prescription meds and when Paul came back he shoved her in rehab – nice move right? Ali was in rehab – stuck there by her frumpy husband Donnie – and the two became like, best friends… and now that I say it out loud they totes fell in love. How did I not see it?” Cosima was waving her hands around as she spoke, now completely leaning back against Delphine. 

She felt Delphine’s chest move as she laughed at how Cosima threw her hands in the air out of frustration. “You are like un petite chiot Cosima!” Delphine poked her gently in the side as she teased. 

“Oh I AM NOT! You’re the puppy with those eyes.” Cosima slumped back against the taller girl, giving up the argument in favor of the closeness.

Since Delphine hadn’t moved away, Cosima settled in against her, enjoying how soft and warm she felt, all the while fighting a silent battle to keep her hands to herself. The battle was becoming increasingly difficult as Delphine moved her legs beside Cosima’s, closing the smaller girl in. 

Cosima didn’t miss Sarah’s glance in her direction, nor the eyebrow waggle that accompanied it. She flipped the bird back at the woman when Kira looked the other direction, Sarah just stuck out her tongue and winked. 

She grew up an only child, but now Sarah was like an older sister to Cosima, looking out for her and making sure she was still alive on the days she missed their morning surf. Maybe it was the fact she was once an orphan herself that made Sarah feel protective of Cosima, but whatever the case Cos was happy to have her around – despite the teasing. 

After having drifted off into her head Cosima was pulled back to the present by the feel of Delphine’s hand on her arm, “You have classes today, oui? I start in my lab today; perhaps we could have lunch? I will need someone to show me around, and you claim to be the best at everything!” Delphine looked at her expectantly.

Cosima felt like she could drown in those big hazel eyes, but she pulled herself together and grinned back, “So cool! I would love to have the honors and give you the grand tour, plus it’ll force me to actually like, eat something. And leave my lab… what can I say? Evo Devo is riveting stuff! No time for sandwiches, biology awaits!” 

Delphine smiled brightly, “Perfect! I will give you my number and we can figure details out later?” 

“Cool, yeah, totally!” Cosima went red as she tried to stop herself from saying more words, she felt like an idiot. 

As everyone slowly stood up and gathered their belongings, Cosima finally tore herself away from Delphine. Jumping to her feet she turned to offer Delphine her hand, “M’lady.” She grinned from ear to ear when Delphine started laughing, but accepted the offered hand. 

“I will see you at school then? You’re not going to be too cool and pretend we don’t know each other are you? Because I will embarrass you if necessary Miss Niehaus!” Delphine was trying to look serious, but Cosima saw right through the act.

“Oh please! My friends would leave me behind in a heartbeat to sit with a gorgeous girl like you at lunch! So it’s me who should be worried! But I have the upper hand here, something like say… the GoPro video of you wiping out and eating sand the other day? Oh yeah, that’s right Cormier! You’re stuck with me now!”   
Cosima felt tears in her eyes from laughing at the look on Delphine’s face.

“You petite shit.” Delphine was shaking her head but grinning, she turned and walked to her little car, her eyes narrowed and she shot Cosima one last look before she hopped in and shut the door.

After saying goodbye to everyone else Cosima sat in her car, she could not stop smiling at the image of Delphine in her head. Turning the dial on the radio and cranking her favourite station she pulled out of the parking lot, her eyes frequently glancing down at her hand. She liked the way Delphine’s number looked written there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise that eventually this story will earn its rating!


	4. Coffee and Crepes

Chapter Four: Coffee & Crepes

Delphine slowly opened her eyes, the soft grey outline of her room coming into focus. It was early. Too early. And yet her phone was ringing, not with her alarm but a phone call. She glanced to the digital clock on the bedside table; the glowing red numbers read 4:08am. With a groan and a muttered curse she rolled over to grab her phone from where it lay on the pillow beside her – she wasn’t used to sleeping alone and felt safer with it on hand. 

Planning to shut off the ringer – since when was “Timber” a good choice for a ringtone? – She lifted the phone, but upon seeing Cosima’s name on the caller ID she moved her finger to the green button instead. 

“IswearIhaveagoodreasonforcallingatthishour please don’t hate me” Cosima was speaking at a rate that Delphine thought resembled a squirrel on caffeine; she just gave a tired laugh and settled back against her pillows.

“You’d better pique my interest fast Cosima, I’m not a pleasant person without coffee” Delphine playfully threatened the girl through the phone.

“Well you’re in luck Delphine! I was thinking we could like, bail on surfing today and you could come over and have breakfast with me? You know, bacon, eggs, coffee, OJ, the whole nine! Whaddaya say?” 

“Aren’t American college students supposed to sleep all day and eat cereal?” Delphine bit her lip as she waited for Cosima to defend herself.

Delphine could practically hear Cosima crossing her arms and then immediately unfolding them to wave her hands as she countered, “I thought I’d pretend to be French today and drink coffee while I make crepes. And then we could dress up like mimes to eat baguettes and drink wine. Hon hon Miss Cormier, two can play at this game! Don’t even get me started on the Canadian stereotypes. You can’t win this, so just like accept my totally gracious offer and let me go back to sleep. Come over around 9!” 

“What, I cannot come over right now? You woke me for nothing!” Delphine wondered silently if she’d even be able to sleep now that she knew she would be at Cosima’s in a matter of hours. Eating breakfast with her. The excitement was stronger than caffeine.

“You can totes come over right now. But I will be sleeping. You can feel free to join of course, just like, don’t snore – or hog the blankets!” Cosima’s words set Delphine’s cheeks ablaze; she squirmed under her comforter, imagining lying in bed beside Cosima. Would the smaller girl cuddle? Shaking off the thoughts Delphine reminded herself to take a cold shower before heading over there. 

“Fine fine I’ll see you later ma Cherie! You’d better have coffee or I may just have to kill you.” 

Delphine was still smiling as she hung up and snuggled back into bed, grateful for the few extra hours of sleep. Getting up at dawn for the past two weeks was exhausting, but definitely worth it to see Cosima every day. Their brief run-ins on campus were not enough, she was an addict and she needed her daily fix of Cosima. Still mulling over her feelings for the dread-locked girl, Delphine drifted back to sleep.

Several hours later Delphine stood at the door to Cosima’s apartment, fidgeting with her blouse and repeatedly fixing her hair. Why was she so nervous? Was it because she’d be alone with Cosima, in the girl’s apartment? Pull yourself together Cormier, she told herself as she raised her fist and knocked twice.

The door flew open a few seconds later and Cosima stood before her, sliding her glasses back up her nose with one hand and gesturing for Delphine to come in with the other. 

“ Just uh... throw your jacket wherever… Sorry about the mess! I’m kind of always surfing… or studying, so you know, cleaning the place isn’t top priority!” Cosima rubbed the back of her neck, looking slightly embarrassed. 

Laying her coat over the back of a nearby chair Delphine turned to follow the shorter girl through the brightly lit apartment. She took note of the cluttered bookshelves covering each wall, the textbooks and papers strewn across every available flat surface and the thick Persian rug covering the majority of one corner.   
The couch looked like leather, but who could tell under all those papers and clothes, Delphine laughed to herself, thinking this whole place was so... Cosima. 

Following the smell of coffee mingled with Cosima’s signature scent of sweet perfume and a hint of that unique pot odor, Delphine entered the cozy kitchen. She was shocked to see that perky brunette hadn’t been lying about “the whole nine”; the island counter before her was brimming with fruit, toast, yogurt, scrambled eggs, coffee and juice. 

Cosima stood at the stove grinning sheepishly, “So I may not have been lying about the crepes… I thought I’d try to impress you and like, bring a taste of home? There’s even maple syrup!”

“Cosima…this is amazing! You are amazing! Thank you.” She swooped down to kiss Cosima’s cheek. 

Smiling at the vibrant red blush in the shorter girl’s cheeks Delphine moved over to pour a coffee, noting that Cosima took hers the same way – black with a generous blob of honey.   
Breakfast passed easily, the two chatted about the latest developments in their labs, new journal articles, and idle gossip about the surf club. Delphine felt very comfortable here in Cosima’s apartment, she didn’t feel like she was a guest but rather a part of the home for the first time since leaving Montreal.

After insisting she help clean up Delphine demanded a tour of the small apartment, wanting to see more of where this enthralling girl lived. 

Cosima must have been born to be a tour guide. She spoke with enthusiasm about everything- even seemingly dry details – and her hand gestures were for once completely warranted. As she waved to various knick-knacks in the living room Cosima would give back story on where they came from and why she held onto them. 

“Okay so get this – Helena and I are walking down the beach right? We’re just strolling and chatting – well as much as you can with Helena, she’s distracted by basically anything shiny or food-related – and she spots this little knife in the sand! I told her not to grab it because it could totally have been like, a murder weapon, but she snags it and it’s got this rad fish carved into it; turns out it’s from an old tribe that used to live on the west coast, must have washed up that day. So Helena called dibs on the knife, but carved me this picture into a piece of driftwood! Said it was because we were ‘seestras’.” She was pointing to a rough carving of stick figures, which, despite looking rough, had an odd beauty about it. 

Delphine loved how animated Cosima was as she told the story, the toothy grin, waving hands and dreads flying around her as she paced.

Cosima pointed out Scott’s room, the door was decked out with Star Wars posters. “The inside is basically that door, but like, twenty times more intense. He even has a life-size storm trooper in there. Creepy. Guy is hardcore into his stars, both Wars and Trek!” 

Delphine laughed as she followed her tattooed tour guide up the small winding staircase that led to her loft. The space felt warm, dark curtains dimmed the room and Cosima’s style was clearly evident in the decorations. She noted the surfboards leaning against one corner, the rest of the room was dominated by a large four-poster bed, canopy pulled back to show the unmade sheets. 

The room had Cosima’s distinct smell, salty and sweet with that slight musky undertone which Delphine knew was attributed to the girl’s affinity for smoking joints while she studied. 

Cosima grabbed her wrist and tugged her down to sit on the bed beside her, they curled up side by side, and Delphine closed her eyes so she could commit everything to memory. She was in heaven. Confused as hell about these feelings, but loving it all the same. 

“So I was thinking, you need to see more of what San Fran has to offer and like if you need a tour guide, I wouldn’t hate it.” Cosima turned her head and Delphine got lost in big brown puppy-dog eyes. 

“Ugh, I’m stuck with you, can’t Scott offer? You know I secretly love Star Wars…” Delphine tried to keep a straight face as she glanced towards the shorter girl.

“Don’t be a bitch!” Cosima shoved her arm playfully, “How about you come with me to a bonfire Friday night? At the usual beach, but there’ll be a whole whack of people, music, food, the works!” 

“That sounds lovely, so long as you aren’t planning on showing everyone my wipeout video!”

“Damn. There goes my Friday night.” Cosima’s tongue poked out between her teeth as she smiled at Delphine. 

Delphine felt butterflies in her stomach, they seemed to reach all the way to her toes, while her cheeks turned scarlet. She wondered if Cosima could hear her heart hammering away in her chest. 

“I look forward to partying like a San Franciscan with you.” Delphine smiled back at Cosima and nudged the dread-locked girl’s leg with her knee. 

As the conversation turned back to school and work Delphine sensed Cosima shift closer and casually intertwine their fingers; she felt as though her smile stretched from ear to ear, her heart threatening to beat right out of her chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Promise things will heat up next chap!


	5. The Bonfire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all - thanks for tagging along for the story! :)  
> Second of all - sorrynotsorry about this chapter, just remain seated and keep ann arms and legs inside at all times. Buckle up, this one's a bit of a bumpy ride!

Chapter Five: The Bonfire

Cosima sat alone at the top of her usual life guard tower; the breeze rolling in off of the Pacific sent chills through her body, she pulled the thick blanket closer around her shoulders and took another long swig from the drastically depleted whiskey bottle she was cradling. The liquid warmed her from the inside out as it burned it’s way down her throat, good ol’ Gentleman Jack never let her down.

A few rogue tears made their way down her cheeks and soaked into the blanket, softening the salt-stiffened edge. She felt a hurricane of emotions boiling in her stomach – this feeling could not be blamed on too much whiskey. White-hot rage met with the cold feeling of her own misjudgment, creating the perfect storm of self-loathing and outward anger, which was currently resulting in runaway tears. 

She felt pathetic, why not smash the shit out of something or light it on fire like Sarah and Felix had suggested? But instead she had climbed up here after everyone left, lit a joint and vowed that the whiskey would not live to see another day. 

Cosima let out the breath she had no idea she was holding and reclined into her seat. The nest she had built up here felt safe for the time being, maybe a road trip would be in order after she sobered up, it might be nice to get away for a while. Distance had the added bonus of preventing her from committing a homicide, which felt like a strong possibility at the moment. 

Cos took a long pull off her second joint, holding the thick, acrid smoke in her lungs for a long moment before breathing it out in a bug huff, not having the patience to practice her smoke rings. This high felt different, she usually felt like she could float away with the clouds and pay her childhood pals the Carebears a visit, but tonight the smoke made her feel heavy and lethargic. 

This wasn’t her first time smoking after a night of heavy drinking; usually she enjoyed a smoky nightcap to ensure no headaches the next day. Usually pot made her energetic and happy, call it her natural anti-depressant. Usually she didn’t sit in a cloud of smoke dwelling on the fact that she had been totally wrong about the gorgeous French-Canadian girl she was falling head over heels for. 

 

Earlier that night. 

 

Friday night could not come soon enough; Cosima had spent all week bouncing off the walls with excitement – Delphine had eaten breakfast with her, had held her hand, and had agreed to a (sort of) date.   
They’d agreed to pack a cooler and share a cab out to the beach – that way no one would be driving and no one would be stuck as DD while everyone else drank their faces off. 

Delphine arrived at Scott and Cosima’s right on time, thoroughly impressing a perpetually late Cosima. Scott answered the door after the third or fourth knock, the music was loud and they were scrambling to get everything ready to leave. Delphine smiled as she walked in, reaching up to fluff and flip her perfect hair as she turned to look for Cosima, who walked through the kitchen doorway and stopped dead in her tracks.

She almost needed a defibrillator to restart her heart after seeing Delphine all dressed up, tight black jeans hugged her body closer than a grandmother who hadn’t seen her in months. Cosima’s eyes travelled slowly upwards, raking over the patterned shirt (was that puppies all over her shirt?! This girl was incorrigible), which was unbuttoned just low enough to give a teasing glimpse of cleavage. 

Cosima decided that Delphine in a leather jacket was a danger to the general public, I mean seriously it shouldn’t even be legal to look that hot. 

“Hot damn, I think I need to go change. Though I’m thinking anything I own is basically a garbage bag if I’m next to you.” Cosima joked to cover up how smitten she was. 

“Oh stop! You look incredible Cosima, and if you change we will be late – again.” Delphine threw a wink in her direction as she moved to help Scott fold up a few blankets to bring along. 

Cosima went back to the kitchen, downing a glass of ice water in an attempt to snap back into reality – though it was tough the let go of the images of Delphine in that jacket (and nothing else) out of her head. 

The three scurried about the apartment gathering the last of the necessities for the bonfire, when the cab honked out front they were confidant that nothing had been forgotten. 

Cosima pulled a baggy USF sweater on over her tank top and tights combination, patting the front pocket to ensure she had a few joints for later, and her keys. Those were important too. 

They arrived at the beach as the sun was starting to go down; a few surfers lingered in the water, desperate to catch the last set of waves before darkness fell. A group of students that Cosima vaguely recognized from campus had already lit a roaring fire and were in the midst of setting up logs and chairs around it.

Glancing over at Delphine she noticed the overwhelmed expression on the taller woman’s face. 

“Hey, so how ‘bout Scott introduces you to some people and I can score us a spot by the fire, I totally have an in with the stoners over there.” The tattooed girl flashed a quick grin and darted over to a group of hippie-looking kids who were partially obscured by a thick cloud of smoke. 

As the sun went down the party turned up, the beach was crowded with people of all sorts who were drinking, cooking and mingling. A few guys with guitars started a mildly off-key jam session off to one side and Cosima finally convinced Delphine to dance after they had all imbibed the required amount of liquid courage. 

Shoes long forgotten back at their seats, they danced and Delphine told Cosima about being forced to partake in ballet lessons until she was 18, which showed in the graceful way she moved- even on the sand. Cos was relishing in the feel of the blonde’s body against hers, she was fighting a losing battle with herself to keep her hands off the woman. Eventually she gave up and just went with it, hoping Delphine wouldn’t mind. 

Delphine most definitely did not mind, she took Cosima’s advances as an opportunity to anchor her hands on the smaller girl’s body as well. Cosima was in heaven, she didn’t know if Delphine was just drunk, or actually into her, but in that moment it didn’t matter. 

Cosima politely let Scott cut in after a few songs, not wanting her roommate to feel left out, and hoping it would do good things for the poor guy’s confidence. Not to mention she needed a cold shower after the way Delphine had been dancing against her. She sat back at the fire, nursing a bottle of tequila – well what was left after Delphine had had a go at it. Cosima couldn’t suppress her laughter when she saw Scott actually doing the robot, but Delphine seemed to find it entertaining so she didn’t feel the need to immediately rescue her friend. 

The arrival of Sarah, Cal, Felix and Felix’s latest love interest tore her away from watching Delphine as she got caught up with her fellow surfers. Time flew by as they chatted and drank; Cosima even arm-wrestled Cal for the last s’more (she lost, but he still shared). Before she knew it Cosima realized she had totally lost track of Delphine and Scott. Which was strange because they should have popped by to check in; Scott knew she was head over heels for Delphine, why didn’t he perform his wingman duties?

The party was starting to thin out as the temperature dropped and the keg had been drained; Cosima began to wander down the beach looking for her friends. Sarah promised not to leave until they had rounded up the whole gang, Cos wanted to laugh at the thought of Sarah being the responsible one. 

She spotted them a little ways down the beach, standing close together with their feet in the water; Cosima hung back, straining to hear what they were saying, but all she could make out was the distinct sound of Delphine’s laughter.   
Finally, when she couldn’t take any more, she walked towards them, calling out as she went. 

“Hey, lovebirds! We’re heading out soon, you sleepin’ on the sand tonight?” Both Scott and Delphine jumped, putting more space between them as they did. 

“Sorry Cos, got sidetracked and all.” Scott mumbled and kicked at the sand.

Cosima turned to Delphine, “Want a ride home with us? I saved you some red wine and I think Sarah stole a bag of chips…” She waggled her eyebrows and looked at the taller woman expectantly. 

“Oh, uhm, thank you Cosima, but Scott offered to walk me home. It’s not far and the fresh air will help me sober up… I hope! So I will see you later, oui?” Delphine didn’t make eye contact as she spoke. 

“Oh. Right. Well, yeah goodnight then! I hope you had fun.” Cosima turned on her heel as her voice cracked on the last word. She was halfway back to the embers of the bonfire before the first tear fell. 

Cal had to hold Sarah back as she yelled, “I’ll kick the living shite outta that nerdy little twat!”

Felix lay with his head in the lap of his boy-toy, “I never did like that weasel, too suburban for me. I practically got zits from just being in the same room as the bloke.” 

They passed around what was left of the tequila, and moved onto whiskey, which Sarah had lifted from one of the other party-goers – now that was the Sarah who Cosima knew so well. They also drank large amounts of water from the bottles that had been neglected in their coolers, knowing they’d thank themselves later. Eventually a taxi arrived to take them home, but Cosima held back. 

“Oi, you comin’?” Sarah shot her a concerned look as they gathered up their blankets. 

“If I go home and run into him – or them – I may just commit murder. So I’m just going to wait it out here. I’ll slip in once he’s defs passed out.” Sarah nodded in understanding and passed her an extra blanket. 

“Look, just don’t do anything I wouldn’t do yeah? And text me to let me know you’re alive. I’ll come by here in the morning nice and early, bring you back to ours for a shower?” 

“You are the best not-really-a-sister-but-whatever in the world. Seriously dude. I love you.” Cosima squeezed the older woman in a tight bear hug. 

“Yeah, yeah. Oh! And if anyone asks Ali and Beth were here with us all night and crashed at mine. Dunno what those two were really up to, but I’d bet my life they’re shaggin’.” Sarah laughed and shook her head, before jogging to catch up to the boys. 

The small dreadlocked girl slowly gathered her blankets and headed up the lifeguard tower, settling into a cozy nest to stew in her feelings until morning. 

 

Fast-forward again

 

Cosima was deep in thought, reflecting on the events of the night and wondering how in the hell she had gone from dancing with Delphine and getting hands-y, to being left on the beach while Scott stole away with the girl she was in love with. 

She was so lost in thought that she didn’t hear soft footsteps in the sand, nor did she even smell the faint cigarette smoke wafting across the beach. 

Setting down the bottle of whiskey and stubbing out her joint, Cosima gave her head a shake and grabbed a bottle of water. She was going to feel like shit tomorrow anyways, why add to the pain? 

As she twisted off the cap she finally became aware of someone watching her. Panic coursed through her veins, waking her up far more effectively than any cold shower ever could. Who was there? Why were they there? Was she about to be chopped into tiny bits and fed to sharks?! 

Before the panic could become full-blown terror, the person spoke, “Cosima?” She’d recognize that accent anywhere. 

“Delphine? What the hell are you doing here? I thought Scott took you home, is everything okay?” 

Delphine had walked to the ladder of the tower and was looking up at her, puppy-dog eyes in full force. Cosima felt her heart melting, along with all of the rage she had been stewing in. 

“May I come up?”

“Of course, yeah, totally. Come on up.” Cosima scooted over to one side, making room for Delphine in her little perch. The blonde was climbing up the ladder slowly, as if contemplating what she was going to do when she reached the top. 

Settling in beside the dreadlocked girl, Delphine folded her long legs under her and turned to look at Cosima, chewing her lip nervously. 

All anger and disappointment had left her body. Cosima was shocked that Delphine had come back – how had she known she’d still be here? She looked at the woman who was looking like a puppy that just shredded a couch and biting her lip, Cosima couldn’t help the thoughts that took over. She wanted to pull the girl in and hug her, wrap her up in blankets and tell her she wasn’t allowed to look so sad. Cosima wanted to be the one biting that lip. 

“I am so sorry Cos-“

“I’m sorry I-“ 

Both girls laughed at their simultaneous attempts at apologies, then Delphine finally looked up at Cosima and the shorter girl froze. Those hazel eyes were piercing her, and even in the darkness she knew Delphine would see the unshed tears in her own eyes. 

Cosima opened her mouth to make another attempt at words but Delphine placed a hand on her knee to silence her. 

“You have nothing to apologize for ma Cherie. I was the asshole tonight; I left you after you invited me here! I wanted to spend the night with you but I was so nervous and then Scott seemed so lonely and you had friends and I just… I made the wrong call. I’m so sorry, can you forgive me?” 

Delphine looked so broken up that Cosima didn’t have the heart to even joke, “You were a bit of an ass. But you came back so I suppose I can overlook that. This time. But I don’t get it, nervous? About the party? It was a fire with food and beer!” 

“Non, not the party Cosima,” Cos looked at her with a raised eyebrow, “this.” 

Before she could ask what the hell the girl was on about, Delphine’s hand was on her cheek and her lips were on Cosima’s. Delphine leaned over to hold the brunette’s face with both hands and in doing so deepened the kiss. 

Cosima was stunned, but didn’t take long to react and kiss the French girl back passionately, tasting the red wine from earlier, and wrapping her own arms around Delphine’s neck.

Delphine wasted no time in running her tongue along Cosima’s lips and turning the already scorching kiss into an inferno. Cosima didn’t fight the moan that the woman drew out of her and opened her mouth into the kiss, meeting Delphine’s tongue with her own. 

Several moments later Cosima felt Delphine shiver, so she pulled back, slightly out of breath. Delphine looked confused, but it swiftly turned to a smile when Cosima slid in closer and pulled the blankets up around them both. 

“You French folk really are good kissers!” 

“And you are a cheeky brat!” Delphine smiled as she pulled Cosima toward her for another kiss.

When Sarah showed up at dawn she found the two girls snuggled together under a heap of blankets, arms around one another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions? Comments? Concerns?


	6. The Aquarium

Chapter Six: The Aquarium

Delphine’s cheeks were hurting from smiling so hard, but she couldn’t help it, there was no place she’d rather be than cruising down the coast towards Monterey in Cosima’s bright red Jeep. 

Red coat, red car, red paint on her bedroom walls – Cosima might have a thing for red. Which might be why Delphine’s wearing a very red bra under a very see-through white t-shirt. Maybe. 

Her right arm hung lazily out the window as they drove, her other hand intertwined with Cosima’s; she could feel the sun slowly turning her pale skin to a bright pink – not a single cloud appeared to rescue her poor epidermis. 

Cosima had called her yesterday and insisted they skip classes and lab work for a day to drive the two and a half hours down to Monterey; the dreadlocked girl had been flabbergasted when she learned that Delphine had never been to the aquarium. 

So naturally, she had kidnapped Delphine after their morning surf on Monday and started south, insisting that the best time to see the aquarium was during school hours – less small children to elbow out of the way for a good view. 

Delphine had argued that maybe if she hadn’t been so vertically challenged, then wrestling with children would not be necessary, but Cosima had simply stuck out her tongue at the taller woman. 

Delphine had zoned out a little bit, not quite hearing the music from the radio as she took in the gorgeous California coastline. She was too busy daydreaming about Friday night – or had it been Saturday morning? 

 

After an awkward conversation with Scott Delphine had made her way back to where she was hoping Cosima would still be. Wanting to run but scared at what would happen when she got there. 

Her worries had been extraneous; she felt like she didn’t deserve the forgiveness Cosima offered so readily, she felt like she had deserved to be yelled at, told to leave. But she took the forgiveness nonetheless, along with the kisses Cosima had surrendered to. Oh yes, she had taken those greedily. 

Sarah had driven them home to shower; Delphine remembered being in an almost unbearable state of hangover – though she was far better off than Cosima. She hadn’t wanted to let go of Cosima’s hand, she wanted to pull her up to her apartment, take that shower together. But she knew Scott and Cosima had things to talk about, after Sarah interrogated the bespectacled woman over a greasy breakfast of course. 

After daylong radio silence from Cosima, Delphine was beginning to panic; in fact she was pacing in her apartment anxiously with her phone in hand debating on whether or not she should call when a knock on the door startled her out of the daze. 

On the threshold stood a sheepish looking Cosima, holding up a box of microwave popcorn and an armful of movies.

They spent Saturday night lounging in sweatpants on Delphine’s couch, eating popcorn and watching cheesy movies; Cosima valiantly defended Tarantino’s love of dramatic spurting blood when Delphine rolled her eyes and groaned. 

She relished the feel of Cosima’s warm body against hers all night; neither could bear to be separated from the other for more than a few moments. They fell asleep spooning on Delphine’s bed, exhausted from their night spent awkwardly huddled on the beach. 

 

Cosima was smiling and bopping her head to the radio, sneaking glances when she thought Delphine wasn’t looking, but it was hard to be subtle when you had a mop of dreads flipping about.

They had strolled through the aquarium hand in hand, taking their time to gaze at each exhibit and read every poster. Delphine was amazed, the closest aquarium back home was in Toronto, and she hadn’t visited since it opened. 

They took turns trying to figure out which type of animal they’d be if they lived in the aquarium, Delphine couldn’t decide if Cosima was a brightly coloured parrot fish, or a fancy octopus with legs everywhere and changing colours. Cosima insisted Delphine was most defs a pom-pom anemone with wavy arms that vaguely resembled Delphine’s golden curls. 

She adored the way the shorter girl excitedly pointed out sea creatures and shared random factoids – Frederic hadn’t enjoyed science at all, it was nice to spend someone who shared her interests, someone who got her.

After thoroughly exploring every inch of the place, they found a quiet restaurant near the ocean and sat in the late afternoon sunshine drinking mai tai’s (virgin for Cosima, who was driving, of course) and chatting until they noticed the place filling up with the dinner rush.   
When they had reached the car Delphine found herself pinning the smaller woman against the side of the car, her hands pulling Cosima’s body against her own, her mouth claiming Cosima’s. 

She wasn’t entirely sure what had possessed her to do such a thing in public, but she was sure that it had put both of them in a rush to get home.

Delphine could feel the fire growing each time Cosima flicked her eyes off the road and across Delphine’s body; she silently prayed that this was the autobahn and they could double their speed to get home. She wasn’t sure she wanted to wait another two hours; the temptation to pull over and climb across the center console was immense. 

“Don’t look at me in that tone of voice Cormier,” Cosima growled through gritted teeth, “It’s impossible to resist you right now, and I’m doing the impossible. Being responsible. Chivalrous even, ya know, since I didn’t pull into a deserted parking lot to have my way with you. So could you like, behave? Please?” 

Delphine laughed as she moved her hand off Cosima’s thigh, where she had been lazily drawing circles, and saw the girl’s jaw visibly unclench. 

“Je suis desole Cherie, I’ll be on my best behaviour until we are home. I wouldn’t want to pressure you into breaking your streak of chivalry.” Delphine apologized, all the while wearing a dangerous smirk that made her eyes sparkle despite the rapidly darkening sky around them.

When they finally reached Delphine’s building Cosima leapt out of the car, “FINA-FUCKING-LY! That traffic was like, totally ridiculous. I’m dying here!” Cosima declared, racing Delphine up the stairs to her apartment.

Delphine grinned and bit her lip as she followed the brunette up three flights of stairs, excitement bubbling up in her chest as she fumbled with her keys and wrenched open the door.

Cosima burst in past her, running straight to the bathroom, calling over her shoulder, “Jesus H. Christ! My back teeth are floating here! And I wasn’t even drinking booze- speaking of, wanna pour us some?” 

Delphine was a little dazed, having expected Cosima to pounce on her the second they arrived home. Instead she sauntered into the kitchen, pouring them each a glass of wine and settling down on the couch to wait.

Cosima exited the bathroom far more slowly than she had entered; her brown eyes were even darker than usual as she stalked towards Delphine, who felt utterly exposed despite being fully clothed. 

Cos plopped down next to her, close enough that Delphine could smell her sweet perfume, but not quite as close as she would have liked for them to be. She was itching to touch the woman beside her, instead she clutched her wineglass like it was a cross. The tattooed girl reached out and snatched her wine glass off the table, swirling it gracefully before taking a long sip, eyeing Delphine the entire time. 

Delphine’s French upbringing cringed as she gulped her wine and set the glass down, not trusting her trembling hands with the deep red liquid. She closed her eyes and bit her lip; why Cosima was holding back? Was it because she knew Delphine had never slept with a woman before? Was it because she was still upset over what happened with Scott? 

She sat stewing, unsure whether Cosima was waiting on her to make the first move; she was gearing up to express out loud how badly she wanted the girl, but when she looked up to face Cosima she found the smaller woman was much closer than she remembered. 

Before she could even process a thought, let alone speak it, Cosima’s mouth was on hers. The kiss started slow and sweet, testing the water before leaping in, but when Cosima’s hands wrapped themselves in Delphine’s hair any remaining inhibitions flew out the window.

Delphine had never considered bisexuality, she knew it was a mixture of nature and nurture, science and society, but never before meeting Cosima had she considered it for herself. But as she felt Cosima tease her lips with her tongue Delphine felt something stirring in her stomach, something that had slept peacefully for her entire 28 years was stirring. 

Delphine pushed back into the kiss, grabbing the smaller girl’s hips so she could position Cosima below her on the couch. She leaned over, not breaking contact with Cosima’s soft lips, and placed her hands on either side of Cosima’s head, mimicking the movement with her knees on either side of the brunette’s thighs. 

When Delphine bit softly at Cosima’s lower lip the woman let out a whimper and pulled Delphine closer, her own hips rolling up to meet the blonde’s. As she pressed herself into the girl below her, Delphine couldn’t help the moan that escaped her.

Cosima was grinning as she pulled back slightly and rested her hands on Delphine’s hips. “Take me to bed?” she ventured, her voice husky with arousal.

Delphine was on her feet and pulling Cosima up with her in the blink of an eye; she drew Cosima against her and crushed their lips together once more, teasing Cosima’s tongue with her own. The shorter girl melted into her, throwing her arms around Delphine’s neck.

Delphine leaned down, sliding her hands down Cosima’s back, slipping her hands into the back pockets on Cosima’s shorts. Giving a quick, playful squeeze of her ass, she then maneuvered her hands so she could scoop Cosima up. She felt the dreadlocked girl gasp and then wrap her legs around Delphine’s waist as the taller woman walked them towards the bedroom. 

She set Cosima down gently when they reached the foot of her bed, taking a step back to meet her eyes. Cosima held her gaze as she reached out and grabbed the hem of Delphine’s t-shirt, needing to stretch up onto tiptoes to pull it off; Delphine watched her eyes grow impossibly larger as she raked over the bright red bra and bare skin.

Delphine surged forward once more, kissing Cosima hungrily as she tore off the brightly coloured tank top and tossed it across the room; thankful she had no roommates to worry about. 

Delphine felt that stirring creature inside her take hold, why on earth had she never considered bisexuality for herself? The woman standing before her was gorgeous, and looking at her in a way that would have made her uncomfortable and self-conscious were it coming from a man, but on Cosima the look just sent waves of desire flooding through her. 

She walked Cosima backwards until the shorter girl fell back onto the bed, Delphine wasted no time in crawling on top of her. She began kissing down Cosima’s neck, going slowly to map every inch of skin with her lips and tongue, committing the sounds Cosima made to memory. 

She had worried about taking Cosima to bed, in fact it had held her back from expressing her feelings to the other woman. She had panicked thinking I have no idea what to do after I kiss her, but she was quickly learning that it wasn’t a problem. 

Balancing with one hand, the other began to trail up Cosima’s side, leaving a wake of goose bumps in its path. As she nipped at Cosima’s ear her hand moved up to cup Cosima’s breast, and judging from the sounds Cosima made in response, she was doing the right thing. 

Delphine pushed herself up and sat back on Cosima’s legs, shooting the girl a wink when she protested. She swiftly tugged off Cosima’s shorts and underwear in one swoop, and then pulled Cosima up so she could remove her bra. Mission completed Delphine softly pushed Cosima back down and resumed her exploration. 

She peppered her chest with kisses, before shifting her focus to Cosima’s breasts, loving the way the girl arched her back towards Delphine when she circled a soft nipple with her tongue. 

Delphine switched her attention to Cosima’s other breast, biting down softly to gauge the reaction, the sounds the girl was making were all the encouragement she needed. 

Before she could think about moving her attentions lower, Cosima hooked her leg around Delphine’s and gracefully flipped them over. Although her main focus was pleasing the other woman, Delphine figured it might be wise to learn from a pro – not unlike the surfing lessons Cosima had given her – and let Cosima take the reins.

Before taking things any further Cosima sat back to remove her glasses and carefully placed them on the bedside table, a motion which inexplicably caused a rush of heat to Delphine’s core. Somehow that motion hinted at what was to come, and she couldn’t wait. 

Cosima hastily returned her attentions to the beautiful woman below her, kissing her deeply but fleetingly, before nipping her way along her jaw. She moved down Delphine’s neck with open-mouthed kisses, before returning the favor and pulling down her bra to lavish her breasts with a skilled tongue. 

Delphine couldn’t suppress the moans coming from her throat, for once she didn’t care how embarrassed she was at the sounds and she wanted Cosima to know the effect she was having.

She pulled the smaller girl up to kiss her thoroughly, sending the message that she wanted to go through this for the first time together. 

They continued to kiss as hands roamed each other’s bodies and slowly grew bolder. Delphine was ready, she wanted this so badly – wanted Cosima so badly. 

They rolled to the side, allowing Cosima to regain use of both hands, which she used to rid Delphine of the last of her clothing. Finally they were completely skin-to-skin, a feeling which provoked a simultaneous moan. 

They seemed to move as mirrors of one another; Delphine’s nimble fingers ghosting down Cosima’s side and across her hip, while the brunette drew a path down her arm and onto her thigh. 

Delphine felt her heart beating madly in her chest, she wanted to be everywhere at once, wanted Cosima to be everywhere at once. She could barely think over the sound of blood rushing in her ears, unable to focus with the aching throb between her legs. 

She leaned forward to capture Cosima’s lips in a thorough, languid kiss, moving her hands in time with her tongue to trace patterns along the other woman’s thighs. She heard Cosima moan and felt her lean in, wordlessly pleading for Delphine to put those hands where she really wanted them.

Delphine felt Cosima gasp into her mouth as she moved her hand to the smaller woman’s core; her own gasp echoed Cosima’s when she felt the wetness pooled there. 

Cosima broke the kiss to drag her teeth across Delphine’s jaw to nip at her earlobe, Delphine hummed her approval but ached to feel those lips and teeth elsewhere. 

The tattooed girl wasted no more time and snaked her own hand between them to match Delphine’s actions, both women lightly teasing each other. When Cosima grazed over her clit Delphine’s hips bucked forward, unintentionally setting a rhythm to which they began to rock into one another.

Delphine made a sound halfway between a whimper and a gasp when Cosima slid into her, she let her forehead fall against Cosima’s shoulder and felt the woman’s breath tickle her ear. 

Cosima thrust into her easily, using two fingers to carefully curl up and meet that sweet spot, while using her thumb to continue stroking her sensitive bud. Delphine copied the technique and was rewarded with a deep moan from the smaller woman. 

It didn’t take long before they fell into an easy rhythm, which sped up as they neared the edge of climax. Delphine clutched Cosima with her free hand, Cosima had wound her hand in Delphine’s hair and kissed her again as they fell into release together.

As they lay intertwined, still trembling with the aftershocks, Delphine felt safe and comfortable, a feeling she was not used to after sex. With Frederic the whole ordeal had always been rushed, get in, get it done, and get out. She always felt exposed, uncomfortable and used afterwards, racing to the shower before he could see the tears welling up in her eyes. 

Although she had loved him, sex had not been a thing Delphine looked forward to with Frederic, and cuddling afterwards fell even lower on the list. But laying here with Cosima she felt no urge to get up, in fact she had no objections to laying in the other girl’s arms forever. 

“You will stay tonight, yes?” Delphine asked tentatively as she traced patterns along Cosima’s back, noting that her nails had left light scratches in the smooth skin. 

“Only if you make me waffles in the morning… after we go for round 10 of course.” Cosima had a devilish grin on her face as she replied.  
“But… we have only had one round, no?”

“I’m not even close to being done with you yet Cormier, we still have counters, showers and couches to defile.” Cosima rolled them so Delphine lay on her back, kissing her hard to emphasize her point. 

Delphine smiled into the kiss while thanking herself for never going to Monterey aquarium before today, for giving Cosima the chance to be the one to take her for her first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRYSORRYSORRYSORRYSORRY!!!! I know it's been ages and I left with a bit of a teaser last time, so I won't make excuses! I'm working on 7 as you read this :) I always appreciate reviews!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: Taking the Plunge

Cosima rolled over, reaching for a body that was no longer there. She lay in a fog of confusion for a few seconds before heaving herself off the bed, slipping her glasses on and pulling a baggy t-shirt over her naked body before groggily padding out of the bedroom towards the source of the delicious smell wafting through the apartment. 

She paused, taking in the view, across the room Delphine was moving gracefully about the kitchen, obviously in the midst of breakfast preparations.

“I was totally kidding about the waffles you know.” Cosima murmured into Delphine’s back as she slid her arms around the blonde’s waist. 

Delphine turned around to face her, smiling as she reached up to cup Cosima’s face between her hands. She leaned down and Cosima felt soft lips brush her own briefly, but before she could lean in for more Delphine was pulling back.

“I wanted to return the favor! And since we skipped surfing this morning… we have time to kill before class.” Delphine stated as she slid a waffle onto a plate for Cosima, “Coffee is in the pot if you want any, Cherie.” 

Cosima’s eyebrow twitched up as she sunk into a chair at the table across from Delphine, setting down two mugs of steaming coffee, “You know I can think of a few other ways to kill time… ones that result in less dishes to do.” 

“Mmm, I’m sure you do, you cheeky brat, but then we will wind up skipping classes again, which is not beneficial to our cell cultures – or grades.” Delphine quipped as she scooped fruit and whipped cream onto her waffle, Cosima eyeing her intently the whole time.

“Fine, be responsible Cormier, but it seems like such a waste of perfectly good whipped cream.” Cosima pointed out, her tongue poking out between her teeth as she grinned. 

The rest of the morning felt so natural to Cosima- despite the tremendous urge to lay Delphine down on the kitchen table, or hike her up on the counter, or join her in the shower - they moved about the apartment getting ready together as if they had been doing so for years rather than a couple days. 

She spent her morning lectures half attentively note-taking, half lost in daydreams about Delphine. She was disappointed that they wouldn’t be meeting for their usual lunch date, but she had agreed to meet Sarah and Kira during her break, and bailing on Sarah would be bad news bears. 

“Auntie Cosima!!!!” Kira barreled into Cosima, giving her midsection a squeezing hug. 

“Hey little monkey – or should I say big monkey! Holy moly dude, you’re growing like a weed, gonna be giving me a run for my money in no time!” 

“Mom says I’m almost big enough to for a new surfboard!” Kira exclaimed excitedly, looking back and forth between Sarah and Cosima as if to say ‘just try and say no to me now mom’.

Sarah shook her head as she opened the door to their favourite diner, “That kid man, she’s too much like me – it’s terrifying.” 

Cosima followed the little girl into the cozy diner, settling into their usual booth she turned to Sarah, “Yeah well at least she’s got her dads genes to balance it out eh? I dunno how S managed with you AND Felix. God bless that woman!”

“Oi!” Sarah kicked her under the table, “We were perfect angels I’ll have you know.”

“But she told me you two nearly blinded her with a pencil-gun once!” Kira piped up without glancing away from the crayon drawing she was engrossed in. 

“Bloody hell, she told you about that?!” Sarah didn’t bother trying to defend herself, Cosima grinned at her goddaughter, Kira was almost too mature for her age. 

“You’ll never guess what happened at the beach this morning, too busy shagging the hot French girl I assume.” Sarah began, “Waves were a little slow so we were sitting around when who struts over but Miss Power-suit herself, only today it wasn’t creepy Leekie with her. It was this little old man with huge glasses, real sweetheart. Ethan he said, professor Duncan? Maybe you know ‘im?”

“Oh no way, really?” Cosima leaned forward on her elbows, “He’s a new professor – or maybe old I guess. Came outta retirement to teach genetics again, said something about not being done with his work yet. He’s taking over one of my classes – nice change from that dry, old raisin we used to have – and stepping in to run our lab since the other dude retired.” Cosima explained.

“Here’s the real kicker, Ethan’s her dad. Can you believe that robot actually has a human family? I always thought she was equal parts test-tube baby and black magic.” Sarah declared with a disbelieving scoff. 

Before Cosima could point out that a test tube baby could still have a normal family, the waitress came by and took their order.

Cosima chatted with Kira about her schoolwork until lunch arrived and everyone fell into a comfortable silence. It was only when dessert arrived – Jell-O with sugar for Kira, who had taken to Helena’s style – that Sarah brought up the topic of Delphine again.

“So, what’s the deal with blondie? Did you have to fight Scott to the death for the right to court her, or what?” She questioned with her mouth full of blueberry pie.

“I’d so kick his ass, but no, Scott and I are good now. And Delphine and I… well I think we’re like, totally great! It feels special ya know? Although I’m half terrified that she’s gonna wake up one day and just bolt… but I don’t wanna let her go.” Cosima finished gesturing with her fork and looked down at her plate of melted ice cream and pie.

“Sounds like you found a good thing Cos, don’t be a tit like I was and let it get away, yeah?” Sarah’s tone was sincere and she reached over to cover Cosima’s hand with her own. 

“Yeah, you’re right. I was thinking going to jail would probably ruin it.” Cosima jested, knowing Sarah could take the joke. 

“I hate you sometimes, you know that right?” Sarah tried her best to fake annoyance. 

“Yeah, but the rest of the time you love me right?” Cosima cocked her head to the side and winked at Kira.

“I couldn’t do it without you Cos!” 

They paid the bill and Cosima walked Sarah and Kira to their car, promising Kira that she would take her board hunting sometime soon. 

 

The rest of the week flew by, Cosima barely had time to eat and sleep between classwork and lab projects. Professor Duncan had blown in like a hurricane and changed everything – not that Cosima was complaining, no the man was a genius, but it meant new projects, changing old ones and scrapping months of work. It was frustrating and rewarding at the same time.

Delphine was experiencing the same changes to her own lab work, which meant that having free time which lined up with each other was harder to find than a unicorn these days. 

Cosima hadn’t had more than a quick lunch break and a few hasty kisses with Delphine since their night together, and it was slowly killing her. Massive loads of homework she could handle, but a week without her own little ray of sunshine? Not cool man. 

Finally the weekend rolled around and with it came a welcome break in Cosima’s hectic workload; a few called in favors and some A+ begging got Scott out of the apartment for the night and it only took one message to Delphine before the woman was on her way.

Cosima heard the door slam shut and whirled around to see Delphine dropping her bag and flinging her coat over the couch in a manner that was far from her usual gracefulness. 

“I hope you’re cool with Eskimo Pies and pizza for dinner because I may or may not have neglected the grocery shopping this week…” Cosima trailed off, distracted by Delphine who was stalking towards her, shucking off the rest of her clothing a she went.

Cosima felt her stomach drop, similar to the feeling when a rollercoaster drops over the first hill. She shamelessly stared at the woman before her, noting that the usual hazel colour of her eyes was gone, darkened with lust – that, or she was secretly a vampire who liked to get naked before she brutally murdered her victims. 

“I had something else in mind actually,” Delphine stood close enough that Cosima could feel the heat radiating off her lithe body, “I want you. Any objections?”

Cosima felt a rush of desire shoot through her body, coiling in her stomach. She was pretty sure she had never been so turned on in her life, and Delphine had yet to even touch her.

She picked her jaw up off the floor and answered the blonde wordlessly. This time there was no awkward preamble, no wine on the couch, and no trips to the bathroom to collect themselves. This time it was uninterrupted passion between the two of them. 

Cosima had latched her mouth onto Delphine’s and was struggling to get out of her clothes, aching for the feel of the taller woman’s skin on her own. Delphine had reached out to help, tugging down her leggings before hoisting Cosima up into her arms. Cos wrapped her legs around Delphine’s waist as she carried her towards the stairs.

Her arms now free of the baggy cardigan she had been sporting, Cosima wrapped them around Delphine’s neck, tugging her closer into the kiss. When Delphine sighed Cosima slid her tongue into her mouth, teasing in a way that was still playful yet edging towards hungry. 

When Delphine bit down on her bottom lip it was Cosima’s turn to groan into the kiss, tightening her grip on Delphine’s waist and sliding her hands into that perfect golden hair. 

Another quick, yet deep kiss and Delphine was pulling back, laughing softly, her voice husky, “I – we have to – stairs?” Her hands skated up and her fingers were splayed cross Cosima’s lower back, her thumbs slowly brushing up and down the sensitive skin of her sides. 

Cosima chuckled and she dipped her head to nip at Delphine’s earlobe, “Think of the feather pillows babe, wouldn’t you rather I fuck you on those than that tiny little couch?” 

She hears Delphine’s breath hitch, feels her nails bite into the skin of her back, hears her whimper, and she sees the determination mingled with arousal in the woman’s eyes. Next thing she knows, they’re vaulting up the stairs two at a time.

She kissed along Delphine’s jaw before running her tongue down her neck, tasting salty and sweet as sweat mixed with what Cosima guessed was vanilla shower gel. 

At the top of the stairs Delphine paused to catch her breath, moving slowly towards the bed. She dropped Cosima onto the unmade sheets and clambered up until she was hovering on all fours, her skin just inches from Cosima’s. 

Cosima craned her neck to gently kiss the woman above her, feeling Delphine slowly lower her long body onto Cosima’s. Both women groaned into the kiss, pushing hungrily at each other’s lips as their bodies melded together.

The kiss was demanding, they both fight for the upper hand in sloppy tongue strokes that are sending tremors straight to Cosima’s core. She needs more of Delphine, so she deftly rolls them over into the middle of the bed, pinning Delphine’s hands above her hand and stooping down for yet another searing kiss. 

Her hips rock gently into Delphine’s, setting an easy pace, and it’s not long before the Frenchwoman’s legs are wrapping around her waist and her upper body is arching into Cosima, searching for contact. 

She grinds down into Delphine, earning a deep moan from the woman, and releases one hand to trail along her arm and scratch gently at her side. She slides her hand further down, gripping Delphine’s muscular thigh as she rocks into her, swallowing the throaty whimper she receives. 

Cosima can feel Delphine’s arousal slick against her stomach, she’s dying to taste her but wants to build up and tease just a little longer, make her really wait for it.  
She dips her head to capture a pink nipple between her lips, sucking lightly before gently biting down. The fingers gripping into her dreadlocks tell her Delphine doesn’t mind the slight use of teeth so she repeats the action on her other breast, enjoying the sounds above her. 

She slowly nips her way down Delphine’s soft belly, leaving wet streaks where her tongue darted out to taste the smooth skin. She shifts lower on the bed, placing kisses along the curve of Delphine’s hips, before moving to the creamy skin of her thighs. 

Cosima wraps her arms under Delphine’s thighs, pulling her just slightly closer. She can smell her arousal now; fighting the urge not to dive right in she looks up at Delphine, seeing hooded eyes and that lazy, lop-sided grin what is oh-so sexy, the taller woman looks back and bites her lip and Cosima feels a rush of heat tingling in her own core. 

She places suckling kisses along the inside of Delphine’s thighs, alternating between legs and slowly inching closer to where Delphine really wants her. As she latches on and gives an extra nip to ensure Delphine will have a reminder tomorrow, she feels her rocking her hips forward, trying desperately to get attention where she needs it. 

Cosima blows gently on the wetness pooled at her core, Delphine jerks her hips forward with a low moan. 

“S’il te plait Cosima, j’ai besoin de toi.” Delphine husked, her breath already coming in soft pants. 

Not one to deny a request, and unable to resist the woman any longer, Cosima drags her tongue along Delphine’s core. She moaned at the taste of the other woman, the vibration causing Delphine to arch even closer to her mouth.

Delphine had one hand fisted in Cosima’s dreads, the other thrown back to clutch at the pillows behind her, Cosima could feel her muscles tense as she arched her back and gently rode Cosima’s tongue.

Cosima settled into a languorous pace, alternating between slow and fast strokes, spelling out letters and words on the woman below her, and occasionally moving up to flick against Delphine’s throbbing clit. 

When she stroked her tongue inside the other woman, Delphine’s hips rocketed off the bed, forcing Cosima to hold her down before continuing her ministrations. It didn’t take long after that before Delphine was moaning out a jumble of French words and Cosima’s name.

When she came Delphine gripped both hands into Cosima’s hair, holding her in place for a few seconds before pulling her up into a sloppy, panting kiss. Cosima could still feel the tremors shaking Delphine’s body; she kissed her slowly and nuzzled along her neck as she came down from her high. 

When Delphine rolled them over and looked down at Cosima she had a predatory glare in her eyes, it stoked the fire that had been burning steadily since the woman entered the apartment. 

“You don’t have to… you know…like if you don’t want to take the plunge or whatever.” 

“Non. I want to taste you.” Delphine interjected in a low and determined voice.

Cosima wasn’t about to argue, not when her thighs were practically trembling already. 

Delphine took her time kissing and licking her way down the smaller woman’s body, mapping out each inch of skin. When she reached the apex of Cosima’s thighs she slowly spread them apart, settling in between and snaking her arms under Cosima. 

Cosima let her head fall back when Delphine’s mouth descended on her; she gripped the sheets when the Frenchwoman’s tongue hesitantly stroked against her. 

After a few licks Delphine had settled in and found her pace, steadily quickening her strokes against Cosima. She hummed her approval of the taste, which sent stars across Cosima’s vision; she knew she wouldn’t last much longer. 

She felt Delphine nip and suck at her clit while sliding a finger inside of her and cried out loud at the feeling. Delphine added another on the next thrust, gliding smoothly through Cosima’s dripping core. 

Another few thrusts and a flick of the tongue had Cosima falling apart, she cried out Delphine’s name as she went over the edge. Delphine continued to gently stroke her as the aftershocks rolled through her, before pulling away and climbing back up to kiss her deeply.

As their tongues met Cosima could taste them both, she couldn’t tell who groaned – probably both. 

“You’re a bona-fide lesbian now eh? How do you feel?” Cosima poked Delphine in the ribs as she jested.

“Like I would like to do that again. In the shower perhaps?”  
When they finally surfaced hours later, Cosima fetched water and slipped back into bed, curling around Delphine and pressing a soft kiss to her shoulder, receiving a sleepy mumble in response. Cosima just smiled and snuggled in, thinking, I’m kinda sorta totally in love with this girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm the worst, I know! This took so much longer than I was hoping, but working at 4am really kills the creative bug, ya know? I have a few ideas for the next chapter so hopefully I can crank that one out a little faster.   
> Thanks for hanging in there and for all the reviews :)


	8. Chapter 8: Trouble in Paradise

Chapter 8: Trouble in Paradise

Sunrise at DYAD beach cast a rosy glow on the gentle waves, warming the shivering bodies of six surfers. Scanning the dark water in the dim light Delphine saw Ali and Beth floating together a few yards from where Cosima was currently trying to paddleboard while Sarah and Cal did their best to knock her over. 

She sat on her board with her legs dangling in the cool water, watching the sun rising behind the others, turning them all into hazy silhouettes. Cosima’s dreadlocks made her easy to pick out amongst the other shadows, as did her erratic hand gestures. How one could be so hyper so early in the morning was beyond Delphine, maybe it was the pot, or maybe it was just Cosima. Probably a bit of both.

 

Delphine wondered how her parents were going to react to the minor tornado that was Cosima. She wouldn’t have to wait long to find out, holidays were coming up and she had promised her mother she’d return home for a short while, and she was eager to see the snow. As happy as she was in California, there was something about winter back home that she’d never be able to live without. 

Thanksgiving had been and gone back home, with only a short phone call to her parents to mark the holiday. They’d been at Frederic’s house when she called, prompting her to end the call rather swiftly. It had reignited contact between her and her mother though, and now she made an effort to chat weekly, which was not doing good things for her homesickness. 

Cosima had stopped by last week, bringing wine and truffles, only to find her curled up on the couch crying into a pillow. As pathetic as she felt, Cosima seemed to have been waiting for this very moment and leapt to the rescue, somehow knowing exactly what to say. Truffles and wine didn’t hurt either. 

Her first American Thanksgiving was spent in an actual barn. On an actual farm. With hay. And horses. And whatever the hell a “combine” was. 

The company consisted of retired-scientists-turned-organic-farmers Mr & Mrs Niehaus, Sarah, Cal & Kira, Felix & Colin, Art & Helena, Mrs S & of course, Cosima. Alison and Beth were obligated to spend time with their families, promising Thanksgiving 2.0 at the beach the next day – who knew pumpkin pie made for a great breakfast? 

Any fears she had about meeting Cosima’s parents evaporated within 30 seconds of meeting the pair, who were just as charismatic and easy to talk to as their daughter.   
The food was excellent and Delphine appreciated the opportunity to lend a hand in the kitchen, something her own mother would never have allowed. Mrs. Niehaus was not only an excellent cook, but a brilliant teacher as well; Delphine thought knew her way around a kitchen, but she had her mind blown.

Dinner took place in the barn, with worn, wooden picnic benches giving the meal a rustic feel. Delphine loved it. She loved that this gang of misfit toys made her feel so at home, she was thankful for the opportunity to belong. 

A bonfire under the stars made Delphine think of all the times her friends back home had bugged her to go camping (tents were difficult when you were tall, and bugs were gross), minus the obscene amounts of alcohol. But the real camping occurred the next night when Cosima coerced her into sleeping in a tent they pitched themselves. The promise of sex under the stars was probably the only reason she complied.

They spent all weekend on the farm, Cosima showing Delphine around the fields and forests, which were so different from the big cities she was used to. She’d loved horses ever since she was a little girl, and when Cosima learned that she’d never actually ridden one, she promptly set about remedying the situation. 

Though Delphine had toyed with the idea, it was Cosima who proposed they spend Christmas in Montreal. She explained that her parents usually spent Christmas visiting relatives in Europe and she was usually an extra at Mrs S’s Christmas dinner, so she wouldn’t be missing much by joining Delphine in Quebec.

“Plus, I’ve wanted to visit Canada for like, ever.” Cosima urged, promising that there was nowhere she’d rather be than at Delphine’s side. 

 

As she watched Cal scoop the first wave of the day, Delphine thought back to the conversation with her mother earlier this week. 

“Mama, I’m bringing someone home for Christmas, is that alright?” She tried to sound casual, praying that her mother wouldn’t pick up on her uneasiness. 

“Why of course dear, is it a new friend from school? Perhaps they can convince you to return Frederic’s calls.” Her mother was the only person she knew who could sound so snarky and nonchalant at the same time.

“She’s… She’s more than a friend Maman, and for the last time, I don’t wish to speak with Frederic.” The last part was practically spat through gritted teeth. 

Her mother had huffed and changed the subject to flight times and arrival dates, which Delphine was grateful for. She knew she’d have to face the music eventually, but right now she was happy to put it off.

 

Visits to the beach had been sporadic these past few days, studying for exams was wearing them thin, but as she paddled into her first wave of the day Delphine thought perhaps they should have been making more of an effort – god knows it was stress-relieving. 

As Delphine shot out from the barrel of what had turned out to be the perfect wave, exams and Frederic were the last things on her mind. On the horizon behind her was a quirky girl she was falling fast for, and on the horizon ahead was her favourite holiday and a chance to share that with said girl. 

As she pulled out of the wave Delphine was so entranced in her thoughts and high on the feeling of a successful ride, that she failed to notice the figure on the beach watching her surf. 

It was only an hour or so later that they finally dragged their water-logged bodies back onto shore, flopping onto the sand to dry out. Delphine loved the feeling of sun-warmed sand on her skin, this time of day it was perfect - still cool enough to be bearable on bare feet. 

Ali and Beth departed shortly after, citing work commitments, leaving the rest of them baking in the morning sun. When a dark shadow interrupted said sunshine, Delphine opened her eyes, expecting to see clouds rolling in. Instead she was met with a face she knew all too well.

Frederic.

Wait – Frederic? In San Fran?!

She was scrambling to her feet before he could speak, spraying sand all over Cosima and Sarah who still lay next to her indent in the dune. 

“Bonjour Delphine, that was some impressive surfing out there.” His voice was suave but insipid, just as she remembered it. She hated that he spoke in French so as to immediately exclude everyone else from their conversation. She hated that he showed up like this. She hated that he was wearing socks on the beach. But mostly, she hated how she was letting herself be upset by him, letting him see her squirm. 

“Frederic. It is rude to speak in French among my friends you know.” Delphine kept her voice flat and even, not wanting to betray how shaken she was.  
Sarah and Cal exchanged confused glances before gathering their towels and slipping away. Cosima was trying to catch Delphine’s eye to see what she should do, but the blonde was locked in a staring match with the man in front of her. Cos brushed her hand on Delphine’s arm as she walked past, a quick but comforting gesture. Delphine had driven this morning, so Cosima hitched a ride with Sarah, leaving Delphine alone to deal with Frederic. 

He looked down at her, one eyebrow quirked up, hands stuffed into the pockets of what were most likely very overpriced pants. Frederic had always been tall and lean, sharply dressed, all angles and hard edges. She wondered how she had managed to fit into his life, but that was just it, she didn’t really fit. 

“You never returned my calls Del.” His expression remained unchanged; he was like a robot with excellent hair. 

“Don’t. Please don’t call me that anymore. I didn’t wish to speak to you – and I still don’t – that is why I did not call.” She crossed her arms as she spoke, attempting to hide the fists she couldn’t help but form. 

He let out a sigh and for a split second Delphine thought she saw a flicker of pain flash in his cold, pale blue eyes before being replaced with annoyance. She watched as he turned to look at the waves breaking on shore, running a hand through his short, sandy coloured hair, which was gelled to perfection as always. 

“Your mother told me where you were, she said you were seeing someone new. That hippie girl, I’m assuming? She’s really not your type Delphine.” He looked straight at her, apparently not wasting any time in getting to the point. 

In that moment she was struck by how little he had changed. He was still the same dashingly handsome, successful man she had met all those years ago, a costume that hid his uglier side flawlessly. 

“That ‘hippie’ girl is well on her way to a PhD, just because she has dreadlocks and surfs does not make her a hippie. What we are is exactly none of your business and she has been a better friend to me than you ever were.” Delphine’s tone was clipped as she fought the urge to raise her voice, knowing he’d win the second she lost her composure. 

“Fine, but we both know why I’m here. It’s time to come home Delphine, be done with this… this little soul-searching venture.” Tactics like this made him a superb businessman, and a poor boyfriend. Frederic had a way of making his suggestions sound like the final plan, something Delphine had accepted for so long.

“No Frederic, I’m not yours to boss around anymore. Last I heard that role had been filled by your secretary. What, did you get sick of your assistant already?” She snapped back, her words both accurate and hurtful.   
His mouth was set in a hard line, and his hands found the pockets of his suit jacket. 

“Look, Frederic, I am happy here. You and I? We’re done. If I came home, I would not come home to you. You cheated, you were uninterested and everything revolved around you, never us, and certainly not me.” She felt her voice getting thick with emotion by the last sentence, but managed to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. 

“Delphine what will your parents think? You left a successful man with a future to run off to California and hook up with woman? We were meant to get married, join the family businesses, and give them children. How will you do that now, hmm?” He jeered, pointing a finger at her intimidatingly. 

“Oh go fuck your hat Frederic! Did you ever think for a second that my sexuality is not the most interesting thing about me? That perhaps my mother will be pleased to see me happy? That my father might be more interested in my career than his business deal with your family? I’m their child, not a pawn.” She was irate, spitting the words with a ferocity she so rarely revealed. 

“We’ll see at Christmas Delphine, we’ll see what they really care about more. I hope you’re happy with this mess you’ve made. You’ll be crawling back. Au Revoir.” With that he turned on his heel and walked back up the beach to the car waiting for him. 

Delphine let out a shaky sigh as tears began to fall; ruffling her hair with one hand, the other rummaged through her bag to find the battered package of cigarettes – Cosima had convinced her to cut back. 

Her lighter flickered but failed to ignite, perfect she thought, just perfect. It felt like everything was out to get her today, she’d probably get swallowed whole by a monster shark if she paddled out again. 

Slinging her bag across her shoulder she sauntered down towards the water, leaving her board leaned against her car. She’d rescued a small package of matches in the mess that was her backpack – god only knows what else lay in the depths – and struck one against the zipper of her sweatshirt. 

Cupping her hands around the cigarette and taking a long pull she lit the end, intently watching the glowing paper. The match was stuffed in a pocket – she hated those smokers who littered, giving them all a bad name. 

She walked back and forth along the beach until the sun was high in the sky, beating down with an intensity she never knew back home. As she plodded back to the parking lot she dried the last of the salty tears from her face, wishing she could wipe Frederic away just as easily.   
Cosima was leaning back on the hood of her car, bag dropped carelessly at her feet, a textbook open in her hands. Delphine stopped a few feet away, watching the spectacled girl studying keenly. She didn’t care what Frederic- or her parents- thought of this, she was happy and for once she was going to let herself be selfish, put her own happiness first. 

Cosima sensed her presence and glanced up, “Oh, hey! Have you been standing there watching me for long? That’s kinda creepy ya know.” She flashed a cheeky grin and closed the book, stuffing it back into her bag. 

“No, no I wasn’t! I just… I meant to –“ Delphine was flustered, giving Cosima her best sheepish, puppy-dog look.

“Hey, no relax! I’m kidding, c’mere.” She took a step forward and pulled Delphine into a vice-like hug. 

The bear hug lasted for many minutes, long enough for more tears to rise and fall; Delphine had thought she was finished crying, but Cosima kept her in a tight squeeze until she finished for good this time. 

When they finally pulled apart, Cosima offered, “We’re gonna talk about it, but when you’re ready. Right now I was thinking… Milkshakes? Maybe you can help me with these cloning techniques!” 

“Je t’aime Cosima. I love you.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, but she meant it. 

Cosima’s grin was a mile wide, “I love you too. Like, I’m totally head over heels; thank god you said it, because I was on the verge of getting it tattooed just to avoid the awkwardness of saying it first!”

Delphine laughed as she pulled the shorter woman up for a kiss, melting into her when she felt Cosima’s arms wrap around her neck. 

“Now let’s go get milkshakes and make crazy science! And when we visit Montreal, I am gonna kick the Christmas outta that dude for making you cry, at the friggan beach of all places! Who is he, Hitler?!” 

As she smiled at the brunette Delphine was silently praying that Christmas wasn’t about to turn into WWII.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for keeping up with the story! :D I'm thinking like 10-12 chapters maybe? Either that or I gotta start doing cocaine for creative stimulation... 
> 
> All credit for the line "Go Fuck Your Hat" goes to my Grandpa, Stay Classy Grandpa! :)


	9. Calm Before the Storm

Chapter 9: Calm Before the Storm

It was nearly Christmastime in the city, and despite the lack of fluffy, white, semi-frozen water to blanket the landscape, the people of San Fran were in the holiday mood. Which meant angry, impatient and just generally fed up. Ahh Christmas. 

Cosima lay next to a sprawling Delphine, who had dozed off into a post-orgasm nap, contemplating the mission she was about to embark on. The meeting of the parents. Oh Nelly. 

They were flying into Montreal this evening, and upon Delphine’s parents’ insistence, staying at Casa de Cormier rather than a hotel. She supposed this was a good sign, meaning that they were comfortable with the relationship, but it was still nerve wracking. They didn’t seem like the kind of people who she could offer a joint to and hope things went smoothly. 

The real problem was not the Cormier’s, but rather the Beraud’s. Since that asshat Frederic had waltzed into town and stirred things up, Cosima had been nervous to meet the rest of his clan. She assumed they were going to try and drive a wedge between her and Delphine’s family, which meant Delphine would be forced to take a side, something Cosima did not want for her.

What she wanted was to kick the living shit outta that Frederic dude, tell him to back off, crawl back into whatever money-and-hooker-filled hole he had likely climbed out of. Cos had seen Wolf of Wall Street and he had that type written all over his smug, clean-shaven face. Ugh. But this was Delphine’s fight, she was up against him in the ring and all Cosima could do was stand at the ready with a towel and water bottle, hoping she didn’t have to see Delphine get beat up too badly. 

Her train of thought took a sharp turn, running with this whole boxer-towel-guy (what were those dudes even called?!) thing. How great of a movie would that make, champion boxer falls for his towel-boy. I should write this shit down she thought, just as Delphine began to stir beside her. 

“Corner-man, that’s what they’re called!” She couldn’t help but blurt out loud as the term came to her.

“Quoi?” Delphine’s sleepy reply was murmured in Cosima’s ear, prompting her to roll over and press a light kiss to the sleepy woman’s lips. 

“Mon dieu Cosima! If you keep kissing me we’ll never leave this bed!” Delphine groaned, doing a terrible job of pretending to complain.

“In that case, would the lady care to join me in the shower?” Cosima rolled out of bed and tossed a wink over a very naked shoulder.  
After a lengthy shower they finally got around to packing for the trip, 10 days in Montreal, for which Cosima was feeling rather unprepared.

“Whoa whoa whoa, you said it was HOW cold last Christmas?!” Cosima exclaimed after Delphine pointed out that tights were not suitable for Canadian weather in December. 

“Even the polar bears wore hats ma Cherie.” Delphine informed her without glancing up from her laptop, where she was checking flight times for probably the 8th time.

Cosima threw every sweater she owned into her suitcase; hats and dreads didn’t really work, but hopefully hoodies would cut it. It was going to be weird enough not wearing shorts for over a week straight, she didn’t want to think about having to wear pants. 

She sauntered over to where Delphine was sitting on the couch and perched on the arm, leaning in to whisper in her girlfriend’s ear, “You know, I’m thinking we should take advantage of minimal layers of clothing while we still can…”

“But our flight leaves in a few hours and we should double check that we packed-“ Cosima cut her off with a kiss, sliding into her lap when Delphine pushed the laptop aside. 

“Relax babe, Sarah is picking us up in an hour, which is plenty of time for me to have my way with you all over this couch.” Cosima swung her leg over Delphine’s to straddle the taller woman, loving the way her eyes darkened and her gaze locked on Cosima’s lips. 

“Fine. Get it out of our system you horny brat, I want none of this nonsense at my parents’ house.” Delphine stated, even as her hands were slipping under Cosima’s over-sized ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’s’ t-shirt. 

“Mmm, sure. I’ll bet I can change your mind. You’re just as much of a sex addict as I am, Miss Cormier.” Cosima placed her hands on either side of Delphine’s head, leaning against the back of the couch, so their skin was just barely touching. The American raised an eyebrow and Delphine lunged forward, her hands frantically grasping at Cosima. 

When Sarah knocked on the door just over an hour later, the two were panting and disheveled, earning a hearty eye roll. 

 

Cosima was an antsy flier; she knew if she could smoke just one teeny-tiny little joint she’d be fine, getting drunk off those mini wine bottles was probably ill-advised too. Flying sucked.   
She glanced over at Delphine, who was looking exceptionally cute in her reading glasses while she devoured a paperback mystery purchased in the airport (“Cosima, I need to read something that isn’t molecular biology or I might lose my mind”).

She popped her ear-buds in and turned back to look out the window, hoping some fluffy clouds would ease her growing anxiety. Only 5 hours to go she reminded herself, pulling a battered old origami book out of her bag, the perfect amount of time to create a charming, home-made, origami Christmas card for Delphine’s parents. Oh yeah, they were gonna love her. 

 

Cosima shivered as the sliding doors opened and frosty Montreal air gusted in, blowing snowflakes onto her bright red coat. She heard a deep voice laden with a think French accent call Delphine’s name and they turned towards the source, hand in hand. 

Delphine’s father was a tall man with a kind smile and after releasing his daughter from what looked to be a vice-like hug, he scooped Cosima into a tight squeeze.

“Ahh, bonjour, bonjour! It’s a pleasure to meet you Cosima, I’ve heard great things! Though I suppose we should get to the car before you freeze, Montreal can be colder than Hoth – and no tauntauns to save you!” Mr. Cormier waved them towards a black sedan idling in the pick-up lane. 

“A man after my own heart! Your daughter clearly did not inherit your love of great film, had to ask me who ‘this Han Solo character’ was the other day. Pfft!” Cosima cast a wink in Delphine’s direction, which was received with a grin and an eye roll. 

Cosima sat in the back of the car, greedily taking in the scenery as they cruised through the city; Delphine and her father sat up front, speaking in French only because Cosima insisted they catch up while she gazed out the window. 

From the tone of their conversation and the occasional bout of laughter, she assumed all was well between father and daughter, which made her happy. If Mr. Cormier (or Henri as he had instructed she call him) was on Delphine’s side and not the Beraud’s then all that was left was to win the heart of Mrs. Cormier – which Delphine had implied was no easy task. 

The car turned down a long winding driveway, lined with trees that currently bore fluffy white coats of snow and frost. At the top of the driveway was probably the most perfect house Cosima had ever seen; a big front porch, Christmas wreath on the front door, smoke curling up from the chimney, Cos felt like she had walked onto a movie set. 

Cosima found herself sitting on the front porch a few hours later, watching her breath swirl into fog and wishing it were from pot and not the freezing temperature. She absentmindedly fingered the joint in her coat pocket as the names of Delphine’s extended family members swam through her head and she tried to remember who was who. 

When she heard footsteps echo on the porch, she turned, expecting to see Delphine. Instead Mr. Cormier dropped down next to her, offering a cigarette and a fresh glass of wine. 

The American politely declined the cigarette but gratefully accepted the wine – which was probably against her better judgment, what was this, number 7? 

“I like you Cosima. And more importantly, my daughter likes you. I’m beginning to wonder if she was ever happy with Frederic, I never saw her light up this way for him you know.” He took a long drag on his cigar, staring off into the night with an unreadable expression. 

“I’ll be honest with you sir, I don’t like that dude. And I’m so not looking forward to meeting the rest of his kin.” Cosima admitted, fighting the urge to stick her tongue out in disgust.

Mr. Cormier’s laugh was a deep bellow and it seemed to echo around them on the porch. 

“His kin are just as slimy as he is, but they’re excellent business partners. Unfortunately it was Delphine and my wife who blurred the line between business and … well, everything else it seems. I thought Delphine was happy, but the truth is... I never asked.” He rubbed a hand over his neat beard, and Cosima reached over to give him a comforting pat on the arm.

“I think even if you had asked she would have said yes. She probably thought she was happy. But all that matters now is that her family supports her regardless of what happens with the Beraud’s, ya know? She doesn’t want to let you down.” Cosima offered her opinion, feeling as though it was safe to do so under the circumstances. 

Henri smiled and stood up, offering a hand to Cosima, “I’m glad she has you. Merci Cosima.” Then he waved her in before him, muttering something about getting the damn relatives to go home. 

 

Cosima found Delphine in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner and she sidled up beside her, starting to dry the dishes that were piled up in the sink. 

“Look at us being all domestic after family dinner eh?” She poked Delphine gently and stole a kiss when the blonde turned to swat her hand away. 

“You disappeared ma Cherie! I thought maybe you were scared off and took the next flight back to San Fran.” Delphine joked, but Cosima sensed an underlying worry in the Canadian’s tone.

“And you didn’t bother to chase after me? You wound me Cormier!” Cosima gasped and Delphine flicked soapy water at her, before moving to corner the brunette against the counter and leaning down for a sweet, lingering kiss. 

“You know I’d chase you to the end of the Earth Cosima.” Delphine whispered as they parted from the kiss, just in time to be interrupted by her mother.

“Well. I see now why you were so quick to offer to do the dishes darling, just please refrain from befouling my counters – you know your aunt would have a heart attack if she walked in.” Mrs. Cormier retrieved the bottle of wine she had come for and retreated to the living room once again, leaving both Cosima and Delphine beet red and fighting to stifle their giggles. 

“I can’t tell if she likes me or not…” Cosima mused as they parted and returned to the dishes. 

“I think she’s reasonably impressed that you aren’t in fact a deadbeat hippie… more like a working class hippie!” The Frenchwoman supplied, clearly entertained by Cosima’s scowl.

“I’m serious! This is like, the scariest thing I’ve ever done. Besides maybe stealing a donut from Helena once…” Cosima exclaimed, fidgeting nervously while she spoke. 

Delphine stepped towards her and grabbed her hands, “Cosima. She likes you, or she would have made you stay in a hotel. And she would not have been so nonchalant about catching us a moment ago. But, she is close with Frederic’s mother, and this is new. She’ll warm up. I’m sure of it.” 

“If you’re sure… then that’s good enough for me. Your dad likes me at least! And I totally dig him. You never told me your dad was a huge nerd – don’t think I didn’t notice that Star Wars collection he has going on.” Cosima chided, grinning at Delphine’s dramatic eye roll. 

Cosima was given the option between staying with Delphine in her room, or taking her brother’s room as he was spending the holidays with his girlfriend. She hadn’t made up her mind as to which was the best move when Mrs. Cormier approached her in the hallway.

“Cosima, dear, this house is old and it gets awfully drafty at night. Save yourselves the sneaking down the hallway at 2am and keep each other warm. I promise it’s fine with me, though I appreciate your chivalry. Oh! And do me one favour while you’re here?” She asked, leaning in conspiratorially.

“Would you convince Delphine to take her damn dog off to school with her? The poor thing is heartbroken without her. And he upsets my cats, the cheeky brat.” Mrs. Cormier waved down at Charlie, the adorable cocker spaniel mix that Delphine had apparently rescued just before she moved away.

Charlie looked up from the stuffed rabbit he was busy disemboweling and cocked his head, seeming to sense that they were talking about him. 

Cosima laughed and bent down to ruffle his ears, “Oh I’d be more than happy to take this adorable beast off your hands Mrs. C!” 

“Please, call me Michelle. And that’s wonderful. Maybe the cats will be able to come out of witness protection! Anyways, goodnight dear.” The older woman swept down the hall, leaving Cosima to ponder what had just happened. 

Charlie sat wagging his tail, an unidentifiable bunny limb dangling from his jaws, looking up at her with dark brown eyes and an expression which he had clearly learnt from Delphine.

“What did I just agree to Charlie Boy? Am I gonna have two of you begging me with those adorable eyes and … ohmygosh I just wanna smush your face!” Cosima knelt down and gave Charlie a hug, which he squirmed out of and raced down the hall into Delphine’s room. 

Cos entered the room to find Delphine in bed snuggling a very comfy looking puppy who was most definitely in her spot. 

“Is this gonna be a thing? This is gonna be a thing isn’t it?” Cosima sighed and slipped into bed, leaning over Charlie to give Delphine a kiss goodnight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is going to tackle xmas head on, I was going to throw it on this one but decided it could stand alone so... brace yourselves? 
> 
> Fun fact, Cosima's idea of a great movie from the beginning of the chapter is what I'm working on for my next story (it's totally still in like, fetus stage though) so I'd love to hear thoughts, feelings, concerns etc... 
> 
> That's all for now folks, thanks for reading :)


	10. Ho Ho Ho-oh No

Chapter 10: Ho Ho…Oh-No

Christmas Eve had arrived faster than anyone was expecting. Delphine and Cosima had spent the morning helping around the kitchen, and delicious smells were wafting through the house to the front yard where they currently stood, judging their snowman building competition. 

She tried squinting her eyes and tilting her head, but Delphine still couldn’t see anything reminiscent of a snowman form in Cosima’s snow… abomination. 

“Cosima I think it looks like a melted candle. He doesn’t even have a round head!” Delphine exclaimed, waving at the lopsided blob that was supposed to be Frosty. 

“He still has ears Delphine, jeez!” Cosima huffed, crossing her arms and looking towards Delphine’s perfectly sculpted snowman, complete with toque and scarf. 

“Even Charlie is not impressed, look.” Delphine gestured to where the puppy was lifting his leg against the snow-tree. She couldn’t stifle the laugh which bubbled out of her as Cosima’s jaw dropped. 

She was wiping the tears form her eyes when a snowball exploded against her arm, sending soft chunks of the wet snow flying into her face and hair.

“I think I like snowballs better. Waaaaay easier to make!” Cosima shouted as she lobbed another snowy grenade at Delphine, and started making a hasty retreat.

Ten minutes later they had set up opposing camps across the yard, with Charlie racing between the two barricades to catch stray snowballs. While Cosima had the better aim, she was slower to dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge incoming projectiles. 

Delphine was so fixated on their snowball war that she didn’t notice the sun setting, nor did she notice when a large SUV pulled into the driveway behind her. 

In fact she didn’t notice anything else until a familiar voice spoke behind her. “I see the children have been asked to remain outside until dinner.” 

Delphine dropped the snowball that had been gripped in her hand, though part of her wished she could whirl around and launch the icy bomb at the owner of the snide voice. 

“Merry Christmas to you too Mrs. Beraud.” Delphine’s voice was cool as she replied to the woman standing on her driveway.   
She was vibrating with emotion when she felt Cosima approach and slip her hand in Delphine’s and give a squeeze. 

“Joyeux Noel! Hi, hey, I’m Cosima!” The American butchered a French accent before sticking her free hand towards Mrs. Beraud. 

The older woman’s sharp green eyes raked over Cosima before she turned and walked towards the front door, calling out behind her, “Come along Frederic, Nicholas. Bring the wine won’t you?” 

The two men walked by without so much as a glance in the direction of the girls standing on the lawn. Delphine hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until it fell out of her in a great sigh. 

“They are positively charming babe, why didn’t you say so? This dinner is gonna be a breeze.” Cosima’s sarcasm contained an unfamiliar bitterness, but the grin on her face disguised any hurt she might have been feeling. 

Delphine started towards the door when the crunch of gravel pulled her attention back towards the driveway, where a sleek black Mercedes was pulling in.

“Well fuck me sideways. This just got interesting.” Cosima stated as they watched the passenger door open and none other than Rachel Duncan emerged, looking flawless as always. 

The driver was Professor Ethan Duncan himself, looking completely adorable in a Christmas sweater - complete with flashing lights in Rudolph’s nose. 

“Hey! Professor D, what brings you here? And might I say looking killer in that sweater. Delphine told me my sweater looked ridiculous, but I gotta say I think we can pull them off, what do you think?” 

Cosima unzipped her coat to reveal what Delphine had referred to as a “hideous sweater abomination” (though she secretly thought it looked cute). It was lacking in flashing lights, but the American’s sweater depicted Santa’s sleigh being pulled by flying penguins. 

“Oh hello dear! This is a surprise to me as well. I used to work with Mr. Cormier back in the day. He invited us up for dinner and Rachel was kind enough to accompany me – weren’t you dear?” Ethan turned to smile at his daughter, who’s usual frosty exterior seemed to have warmed for the holidays.

“It would seem so. Cosima. Delphine. Happy Holidays. Shall we?” Rachel led the way up the drive, moving gracefully despite the combination of heels and gravel.   
She couldn’t hide her surprise when Rachel greeted Frederic and his father by name, and merely shrugged when Cosima shot her a raised eyebrow; together they watched Rachel charm the icy Mrs. Beraud – a task previously thought impossible by Delphine.

She had never heard her father mention Professor Duncan before, but the two got along like lifelong friends; in fact everything seemed to be running smoothly, even her mother appeared relaxed. 

That is, until dinner.

Mrs. Beraud took it upon herself to rearrange the seating, leaving Delphine beside Frederic, with Rachel seated across from her. Cosima and Ethan were at the end of the table, on either side of her father, and ostensibly engaged in an in-depth discussion on Ethan’s latest developments in the lab. 

Despite the delicious smells wafting off the food before her, Delphine’s stomach began to churn with unease. She wished her brother were here right now; ever the diplomat, he had a knack for diffusing tense situations like this. Damn his girlfriend Danielle, dragging him across the Atlantic to spend Christmas in France. 

She was busy poking at a lump of mashed potatoes when raised voices brought her attention back to the table. 

“What do you mean you’re cutting project Leda? We’ve had multiple breakthroughs in treatment for cancer and autoimmune diseases!” Mr. Cormier demanded, his hands tight fists around his silverware. 

Ethan looked equally puzzled, “Nicholas, that project has been going on for the entire duration of the foundation’s existence. The only other project from that time is Castor.” 

“Precisely. Castor will be receiving increased funding and to compensate we’ll be winding down Leda. It’s just not making money.” Mr. Beraud spoke calmly, clearly not bothered by the Professor’s concerns. 

“Leda doesn’t make money because it’s experimental research and we decided a long time ago that it wouldn’t be right to sell it. Castor is biological weaponry, any money it makes should very well be illegal in this day and age!” Delphine could tell her father was reaching his boiling point. 

Until now Rachel had been silent, taking in the heated exchange with an unreadable expression on her face, “Mr. Beraud, has this decision been brought up to the board, or are you forgetting that your entire foundation is owned by the Duncan Institute?” 

Delphine watched as his faced turned a deep shade of red and he ground his jaw tightly. 

“I assumed the board was more of a figurehead these days Miss Duncan.” Mrs. Beraud came to her husband’s rescue. 

“Oh I assure you, we are far more than a figurehead Adele. Your husband would do well to remember that or he’ll find himself without a job.” Rachel’s tone was icy, Delphine was in awe of the way she put Mrs. Beraud in her place. 

“Adele, Nicholas, please. It’s Christmas Eve, must we discuss this now?” Delphine’s mother spoke up, looking disappointed in her dinner guests. 

Delphine glanced around the table. Rachel’s eyebrows were raised, Cosima was looking for a way to disappear, and Ethan was looking at the wall like it was a never before seen Picasso painting. 

“You’re right Michelle. It is Christmas Eve and we should be at home, instead of sitting here while you make a mockery of our family.” Adele spat. 

“You may want to choose your next words very carefully, considering you are in the presence of a board member.” Rachel’s voice was laced with poison. 

Mrs. Beraud huffed and stood from the table, sending her husband and son glances that implied they’d best do the same. Frederic mumbled under his breath as he rose, Delphine barely catching the phrase “fuckin’ circus”. 

Everyone except Cosima and Ethan followed them to the door, no one spoke a word. 

Delphine’s father poured another round of wine as they sat back down, suddenly looking awfully haggard. 

“Thank you for stepping in Rachel, we all appreciate it.” Her mother reached across the table to place a hand on Rachel’s. 

“Of course, I’m looking out for the institute. My father’s research is important and I would like to see him continue it with Henri. The Beraud’s have made this personal and if they continue down this path they’ll find themselves meeting the same fate as Dr. Aldous Leekie.”

“Whoa, you gonna have them iced? That’s kinda intense.” Cosima’s eyes were as wide as the grin stretching across her face. 

“Nobody lays hands on me, whether physically or verbally.” Rachel stated matter-of-factly. 

“So...uh…is anyone else wondering what Leekie did to get voted off the island?” Cosima looked around the table with a sheepish smile. 

“Aldous kept knowledge of my father’s whereabouts hidden from me, and the fool thought it wise to use his knowledge of my relationship with Marian Bowles as blackmail.” Her eyes glinted with smug satisfaction at the table of dropped jaws surrounding her. 

“… So… you’re gay?” Cosima gaped at the older woman. 

“Cosima!” Delphine smacked the American’s arm and shot Rachel and apologetic glance. 

“It’s fine, dear. And to answer your question, Miss Niehaus, yes.”

Before anyone could say anything further Charlie burst out of the sitting room, having been freed from his confinement when the guests left. With a series of excited barks and whimpers he raced around the table before darting out once more. 

“Seems like it’s time to move this party elsewhere, any objections to dessert by the fireplace?” Henri stood and waved everyone into the sitting room, where Charlie lay under the Christmas tree, tail wagging. 

 

A few hours later found Delphine with her arms wrapped around Cosima and her chin resting on the shorter woman’s head, waving goodbye to Rachel and Ethan.

“Okay so that was like, not a total disaster. I mean, at least nothing caught fire right?” Cosima suggested.

“The night is still young Cosima! We may yet have St. Nic fall down our chimney.” Her father said with a chuckle. 

“The night may be young, but I am not. Goodnight darlings, I hope you won’t wake us up at 6 like you used to dear?” Her mother joked; it made Delphine happy that the night had managed to end on pleasant terms. 

They watched her parents head inside, still snuggled together on the porch.

“Betcha don’t think this sweater is such a horrible idea now do ya?” Cosima teased when Delphine shivered and pulled the brunette closer. 

“You’re lucky it’s too big for you or your ego wouldn’t fit, cheeky girl.” She tickled Cosima, who was unable to escape her grasp and squirmed while trying not to slip on the icy porch. 

“Come. I have a surprise.” Delphine tugged Cosima inside, leading her to the Christmas tree.

“Ooo! Early presents?! Yessss! My parents always let us open one the night before… Somehow I always chose the one containing socks…” Cosima started to ramble excitedly, only stopping when Delphine grabbed her face and pulled her up for a kiss.

“Would you rather I give you socks then?”

“Oh no, please, continue the kissing, that’s perfectly satisfactory!”

“Actually, there’s err, well there’s a bit more to it,” Delphine felt a blush rising in her cheeks, suddenly nervous. 

She bent down and retrieved a small box from beneath the tree, doing her best to steady her trembling hands; Cosima looked at her with a curious expression, for once she didn’t add any smart-ass commentary.

Delphine stepped forward and her eyes met Cosima’s, “Cosima I want to ask you something…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuuuhhhhh! I'm thinking I'll wrap this story up soon, mostly because I have ideas for some other stories and this one is winding down :) There's another chapter or two coming your way soon though! Thanks for reading :)


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